Hormonal-neural integration in the female rat ventromedial hypothalamus:: Triple labeling for estrogen receptor-α, retrograde tract tracing from the periaqueductal gray, and mating-induced fos expression
Hormonal-neural integration in the female rat ventromedial hypothalamus:: Triple labeling for estrogen receptor-α, retrograde tract tracing from the periaqueductal gray, and mating-induced fos expression
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DOI：
10.1210/en.2003-0331
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发表时间：
2003-12-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Flanagan-Cato, LM
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Calizo, LH;Flanagan-Cato, LM
前凸反射是雌性大鼠性行为中的一种典型姿势，需要激素信号雌激素与下丘脑腹内侧核(VMH)下行神经通路的汇聚。VMH至少含有三个与前凸有关的神经元：雌激素受体-α免疫反应(ERpha-IR)神经元，投射到中脑导水管周围灰质(PAG)的VMH神经元，以及投射到PAG的ERpha-IR神经元。作为神经元激活标志的Fos在交配后的VMH表达增加。然而，目前还不清楚这些与前凸相关的人群中有哪些被激活了。ERpha-IR神经元和投射神经元多数未共定位。在Fos阳性神经元中，41%既不含ERpha也不投射到PAG，35%含有ERpha但不投射到PAG。只有25%的Fos阳性神经元投射到PAG，包括表达ERpha的投射神经元。我们的结果表明，交配激活了几种不同的VMH神经元类型。然而，与PAG投射神经元相比，ERpha-IR神经元被激活的程度更大。
The lordosis reflex, a stereotypic posture adopted by female rats during sexual behavior, requires the convergence of a hormonal signal, estrogen, with a descending neural pathway from the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH). The VMH contains at least three lordosis-relevant neural populations: estrogen receptor-alpha immunoreactive (ERalpha-IR) neurons, VMH neurons that project to the periaqueductal gray (PAG), and neurons that are ERalpha-IR and project to the PAG. Expression of Fos, a marker for neuronal activation, is increased in the VMH after mating. However, it is unknown which, if any, of these lordosis-relevant populations is activated. The majority of ERalpha-IR and projection neurons were not colocalized. Of the Fos-positive neurons, 41% neither contained ERalpha nor projected to the PAG, and 35% contained ERalpha but did not project to the PAG. Only 25% of Fos-positive neurons projected to the PAG, including projection neurons that expressed ERalpha. Our results suggest that mating activates several distinct VMH neuron types. However, ERalpha-IR neurons are activated to a greater extent compared with the PAG-projecting neurons.