Testosterone increases acetylcholine receptor number in the "levator ani" muscle of the rat.
The "levator ani" muscle of male rats provides a neuromuscular system in which both the muscle and its motoneurons have high levels of androgen receptors. Two weeks of castration caused a 48% loss of acetylcholine receptors in this muscle. One week of testosterone propionate injections initiated on week after castration increased receptor number by 27% over untreated castrate levels. These changes paralleled changes in muscle protein content. In contrast, castration and testosterone treatments of castrates had no effect on total. Triton X-100-extractable acetylcholinesterase activity. This system may provide a useful model of synaptic plasticity.
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051381:Rats; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
D011506:Proteins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D013739:Testosterone; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase