| Title: | Effects of female pheromones on gonadotropin-releasing hormone gene expression and luteinizing hormone release in male wild-type and oestrogen receptor-alpha knockout mice |
| Author(s): | Gore AC; Wersinger SR; Rissman EF; |
| Address: | "Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories and Henry L. Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. gore@neuro.mssm.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00578.x |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0953-8194 (Print) 0953-8194 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Pheromones are an important class of environmental cues that affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in a variety of vertebrate species, including humans. When male mice contact female-soiled bedding, or urine, they display a reflexive luteinizing hormone (LH) surge within 30 min. Aside from the requirement that males have gonads to show this response, the physiological mechanisms that underlie this pituitary response are unknown. In this experiment, we asked if female pheromones acted at the level of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) gene expression to affect this hormone response. In addition, we also examined the contribution of one of the oestrogen receptors (ERalpha) by studying this neuroendocrine reflex in wild-type and oestrogen receptor-alpha knockout (ERalphaKO) males. Both ERalphaKO and wild-type males showed the expected LH surge, 45 and 90 min after contact with female pheromones. Males housed in clean bedding or bedding soiled by another adult male did not display the LH elevation. Interestingly, this dramatic change in LH concentrations was not accompanied by any alterations in GnRH mRNA expression or levels of primary transcript in the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus. The one exception to this was a significant increase in GnRH mRNA expression in tissue collected from wild-type males exposed to bedding from another male. This is particularly intriguing since LH was not elevated in these males. These data replicate and extend our previous finding that ERalphaKO males do exhibit an LH surge in response to female pheromones. Thus, this neuroendocrine response is regulated by a steroid receptor other than ERalpha and does not require alterations in GnRH mRNA expression" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Estrogen Receptor alpha Estrogen Receptor beta Female Gene Expression/drug effects/physiology Genotype Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/*genetics Luteinizing Hormone/*blood Male Mice Mice, Inbred C57BL Mice, Knockout Pituitary Gland/drug effects/phy;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineGore, A C Wersinger, S R Rissman, E F eng K02 MH01349/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ NS10444/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ R01 MH57759/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ etc. Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 2000/12/07 J Neuroendocrinol. 2000 Dec; 12(12):1200-4. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00578.x" |
