title: C-fos expression pattern in the hypothalamus and the preoptic area of the rat during proestrus.
abstract: c-fos gene expression in the hypothalamus, the preoptic area, the hippocampus and the frontal cerebral cortex of the rat was determined every two hours from 09:00 h to 19:00 h on the day of proestrus by using reverse transcription coupled to polymerase chain reaction. Rats under a 14:10 h light-dark cycle, with lights on at 06:00 h were used. We found a marked increase in c-fos gene expression in the studied regions but the hippocampus at 13:00 h, followed by a significant diminution in the subsequent hours of proestrus day. The high expression of c-fos gene at 13:00 could be associated to the increase in estradiol seric levels observed both at 11:00 h and at 13:00 h. Our results correlate with the increase in the number of FOS immunoreactive cells in some forebrain areas in proestrus afternoon related to gonadotropin releasing hormone secretion.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México DF. igcar@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Camacho-Arroyo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerra-Araiza
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Rodríguez
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cerbón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D016762:Genes, fos; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000378:metabolism*; D011359:Proestrus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger