Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis differs between behavioral phenotypes in female white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis)
Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis differs between behavioral phenotypes in female white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis)
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ygcen.2007.12.009
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发表时间：
2008-04-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Maney, Donna L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lake, Jessica I.;Lange, Henry S.;Maney, Donna L.
白喉麻雀（Zonotrichia albicollis）特别适合调查社会行为的神经内分泌机制，因为行为多态性与羽毛表型相关。该物种大约一半的个体在树冠上表现出白色条纹（WS），并采取更具攻击性的策略，而另一半则表现出棕褐色条纹（TS），并采取更具亲性的策略。这些行为差异反映了激素和神经内分泌的差异;例如，WS变体的男性比TS男性具有更高的血浆睾酮，TS变体的女性比WS变体的女性具有更高的血浆促黄体激素。这些差异表明，下丘脑-垂体-性腺（HPG）轴的调节可能会有所不同，根据形态。在这项研究中，我们通过测量（1）GnRH免疫反应（ir）神经元的数量、大小和染色强度;（2）血浆LH;（3）女性血浆雌二醇（E2）来比较每个水平的HPG轴活性。我们发现，TS女性有更多的GnRH-IR神经元在隔视前区的下丘脑比WS女性，和GnRH-IR神经元胞体在WS比TS女性更大。GnRH标记强度无形态差异。TS雌性动物的血浆LH较高，这与先前的报告一致，血浆E2较高。我们推测GnRH免疫反应细胞数量和大小的差异与LH和E2分泌的差异有关，并可能与多态性社会行为有关。(C)2008年爱思唯尔公司All rights reserved.
The white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) lends itself particularly well to investigations of neuroendocrine mechanisms of social behavior because of a behavioral polymorphism that correlates with a plumage phenotype. Roughly half of the individuals of this species exhibit a white stripe (WS) on the crown and engage in a more aggressive strategy, whereas the other half exhibit a tan stripe (TS) and assume a more parental strategy. These behavioral differences are mirrored by hormonal and neuroendocrine differences; for example, males of the WS morph have higher plasma testosterone than do TS males, and females of the TS morph have higher plasma luteinizing hormone than females of the WS morph. These differences suggest that the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis may differ according to morph. In this study, we compared HPG axis activity at each level by measuring (1) the number, size, and staining intensity of GnRH immunoreactive (ir) neurons; (2) plasma LH; and (3) plasma estradiol (E2) in females. We found that TS females had more GnRH-ir neurons in the septo-preoptic area of the hypothalamus than did WS females, and GnRH-ir neuronal cell bodies were larger in the WS than the TS females. There was no morph difference in the intensity of GnRH labeling. TS females had higher plasma LH, which is consistent with a previous report, and higher plasma E2. We hypothesize that the differences in GnRH-ir cell number and size are related to differences in LH and E2 secretion, and may be relevant to polymorphic social behavior. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.