Steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) mediates the development of sex-specific brain morphology and behavior.
Steroid hormone action during brain development exerts profound effects on reproductive physiology and behavior that last into adulthood. A variety of in vitro studies indicate that steroid receptors require nuclear receptor coactivators for efficient transcriptional activity. To determine the functional significance of the nuclear receptor coactivator SRC-1 in developing brain, we investigated the consequence of reducing SRC-1 protein during sexual differentiation of the brain. We report that reducing SRC-1 protein interferes with the defeminizing actions of estrogen in neonatal rat brain. Our data indicate that SRC-1 protein expression is critically involved in the hormone-dependent development of normal male reproductive behavior and brain morphology.
Auger
A P
AP
Department of Physiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. aauge001@umaryland.edu
Tetel
M J
MJ
McCarthy
M M
MM
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D008297:Male; D056920:Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 1; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*
D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D056920:Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 1