Localization of androgen receptor within peptidergic neurons of the rat forebrain.
This study tested for the presence of androgen receptor-immunoreactivity in somatostatin, galanin, vasopressin, corticotropin-releasing hormone, and oxytocin neurons in the rat forebrain. The brains of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde. Androgen receptor was visualized in coronal sections using nickel intensification of diaminobenzidine, and the neuropeptides were identified using a brown diaminobenzidine reaction product. Androgen receptor was localized to the nuclei of neurons in the septum, amygdala, cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. The majority of somatostatin-containing neurons in the periventricular hypothalamic nucleus also contained androgen receptor. Androgen receptor was also found within galanin-expressing cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and in the amygdala. Androgen receptor was not observed in corticotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, or oxytocin neurons in all areas examined. The data suggest that androgens may be capable of directly regulating somatostatin-expressing neurons of the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and galanin-containing neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala.
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60153.
E W
EW
Bingaman
L M
LM
Baeckman
J M
JM
Yracheta
R J
RJ
Handa
T S
TS
Gray
D000818:Animals; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000032:analysis*
D009479:Neuropeptides; D011944:Receptors, Androgen