Effects of female pheromones on gonadotropin-releasing hormone gene expression and luteinizing hormone release in male wild-type and oestrogen receptor-α knockout mice
Effects of female pheromones on gonadotropin-releasing hormone gene expression and luteinizing hormone release in male wild-type and oestrogen receptor-α knockout mice
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DOI：
10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00578.x
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发表时间：
2000-12-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Rissman, EF
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gore, AC;Wersinger, SR;Rissman, EF
信息素是影响包括人类在内的多种脊椎动物下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴的一类重要环境信号。当雄性老鼠接触到雌性弄脏的床上用品或尿液时，它们会在30分钟内表现出反射性的黄体生成素（LH）激增。除了雄性需要有性腺来表现这种反应外，这种垂体反应的生理机制尚不清楚。在本实验中，我们询问雌性信息素是否在促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）基因表达水平上起作用，从而影响这种激素反应。此外，我们还通过研究野生型和雌激素受体cc敲除（ER α KO）雄性的神经内分泌反射，研究了其中一种雌激素受体（ER α）的作用。与雌性信息素接触后45 min和90 min， ER α KO和野生型雄性均出现了预期的LH激增。在干净的被褥或被其他成年雄性弄脏的被褥中饲养的雄性没有显示LH升高。有趣的是，这种LH浓度的剧烈变化并没有伴随着GnRH mRNA表达或视前区-下丘脑前部初级转录物水平的任何改变。唯一的例外是，从野生型雄性暴露于另一只雄性的床上用品中收集的组织中，GnRH mRNA的表达显著增加。这是特别有趣的，因为LH在这些男性中没有升高。这些数据重复并扩展了我们之前的发现，即ER α KO雄性对雌性信息素的反应确实表现出LH激增。因此，这种神经内分泌反应是由ER α以外的类固醇受体调节的，不需要改变GnRH mRNA的表达。
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 (ER alpha) by studying this neuroendocrine reflex in wild-type and oestrogen receptor-cc knockout (ER alpha KO) males. Both ER alpha KO 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 ER alpha KO males do exhibit an LH surge in response to female pheromones. Thus, this neuroendocrine response is regulated by a steroid receptor other than ER alpha and does not require alterations in GnRH mRNA expression.