Site-specific regulation of gene expression by estrogen in the hypothalamus of adult female rats.
Estrogen plays critical roles in the neuroendocrine system of adult female rats through separate actions, respectively, in the preoptic area (POA) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH). Seven-week-old rats were treated with/without estrogen after they were ovariectomized, and four estrogen-responsive, neuronal system-related genes, encoding alpha4 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (Chrna4), GABA(A) receptor delta (Gabrd), serotonin receptor 6 (Htr6), and GABA transporter 2 (Slc6a13), were investigated by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analyses to examine their differential regulation by estrogen between the anterior part containing POA and the posterior part containing VMH. We further examined Bax, Bcl2, and Prkce, the former two genes to be involved in the gene expression network of Chrna4 and the latter gene, that of Gabrd. The regulation of Bax and Bcl2 by estrogen differed between the anterior and posterior parts. The results demonstrated differential regulation of these neuronal system-related genes by estrogen between the anterior and posterior parts of the hypothalamus and suggested the roles of gene expression networks for the respective genes in the neuroendocrine system of adult female rats.
Xu
Qing
Q
Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-1 Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
Hamada
Tomohiro
T
Kiyama
Ryoiti
R
Sakuma
Yasuo
Y
Wada-Kiyama
Yuko
Y
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D050485:GABA Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004967:Estrogens; D050485:GABA Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; C464500:GABRD protein, human; C000592156:Gabrd protein, rat; C493418:SLC6A13 protein, human; C097216:serotonin 6 receptor