title: Expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase messenger RNA in rat medial preoptic area neurones during the oestrous cycle and after ovariectomy.
abstract: Evidence suggests that medial preoptic area (MPOA) neurones containing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are modulated directly by oestrogen. We have used an alkaline phosphatase-labelled antisense oligonucleotide probe to examine glutamic acid decarboxylase67 (GAD) mRNA expression within individual cells of the MPOA, diagonal band of Broca (DBB) and parietal cortex in rats killed at noon on each day of the oestrous cycle and after ovariectomy (n = 4-5). As a fall in extracellular GABA concentrations occurs in the MPOA on the afternoon of proestrus, the GAD67 mRNA content of cells was also examined in proestrous rats at 15:00h immediately prior to the preovulatory luteinising hormone (LH) surge. The MPOA was found to have an intermediate number of GAD67 mRNA-containing cells compared with the DBB and cortex (P less than 0.01) but expressed the lowest mean hybridisation signal (P less than 0.01). The parietal cortex had significantly fewer (P less than 0.01) GAD mRNA-containing cells than either the MPOA or DBB but these contained higher mean density of signal (P less than 0.01). The hybridisation signal for GAD mRNA was abolished by either ribonuclease pre-treatment or the use of excess non-labelled probe. No significant (P greater than 0.05) differences in GAD67 mRNA were detected in animals killed at noon throughout the oestrous cycle or after ovariectomy. On the afternoon of proestrus (15:00h) there was a significant 40% reduction in mean GAD67 mRNA content within cells of only the MPOA compared with noon (P less than 0.05). The numbers of cells in the MPOA expressing GAD67 mRNA were not significantly different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroendocrinology, AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Babraham, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Herbison
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Augood
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: McGowan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000235:genetics*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011359:Proestrus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase