Sexual differentiation and development of forebrain reproductive circuits.
Males and females exhibit numerous anatomical and physiological differences in the brain that often underlie important sex differences in physiology or behavior, including aspects relating to reproduction. Neural sex differences are both region-specific and trait-specific and may consist of divergences in synapse morphology, neuron size and number, and specific gene expression levels. In most cases, sex differences are induced by the sex steroid hormonal milieu during early perinatal development. In rodents, the hypothalamic anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) is sexually differentiated as a result of postnatal sex steroids, and also specific neuronal populations in this nucleus are sexually dimorphic, with females possessing more kisspeptin, dopaminergic, and GABA/glutamate neurons than males. The ability of female rodents, but not males, to display an estrogen-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) surge is consistent with the higher levels of these neuropeptides in the AVPV of females. Of these AVPV populations, the recently identified kisspeptin system has been most strongly implicated as a crucial component of the sexually dimorphic LH surge mechanism, though GABA and glutamate have also received some attention. New findings have suggested that the sexual differentiation and development of kisspeptin neurons in the AVPV is mediated by developmental estradiol signaling. Although apoptosis is the most common process implicated in neuronal sexual differentiation, it is currently unknown how developmental estradiol acts to differentiate specific neuronal populations in the AVPV, such as kisspeptin or dopaminergic neurons.
Semaan
Sheila J
SJ
Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Kauffman
Alexander S
AS
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013256:Steroids / Q000494:pharmacology
D013256:Steroids
Endocrinology. 2006 Dec;147(12):5817-25
16959837
Biol Reprod. 2009 Dec;81(6):1216-25
19684332
Horm Behav. 2009 May;55(5):570-8
19446073
Horm Behav. 2009 May;55(5):589-96
19446075
Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2008 Mar;63(3):189-94
18279545
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Nov;297(5):E1212-21
19755669
Neurotoxicology. 2008 Nov;29(6):988-97
18656497
Dev Neurobiol. 2007 Feb 15;67(3):355-62
17443793
Neuroscience. 2009 Feb 18;158(4):1251-6
19059313
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2010 Jan;11(1):9-17
20019686
N Engl J Med. 2003 Oct 23;349(17):1614-27
14573733
J Neurosci. 2004 Sep 15;24(37):8097-105
15371511
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Dec 26;312(4):1357-63
14652023
J Neurosci. 2007 Aug 15;27(33):8826-35
17699664
J Neurosci. 2008 Aug 27;28(35):8691-7
18753370
Brain Res Rev. 2008 Mar;57(2):277-87
17604108
Behav Brain Res. 1998 May;92(2):195-203
9638961
J Comp Neurol. 1982 Dec 1;212(2):118-30
7187914
Neuroscience. 2006;138(3):947-55
16310321
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Feb 1;102(5):1761-6
15665093
Endocrinology. 2010 Feb;151(2):722-30
19952274
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2010 Aug 5;324(1-2):51-63
20083160
J Biol Chem. 2001 Sep 14;276(37):34631-6
11457843
Eur J Pharmacol. 2003 Feb 28;463(1-3):199-216
12600711
J Neurosci. 2009 Oct 14;29(41):12815-23
19828794
J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2007 May-Jun;36(3):263-74
17489932
Endocrinology. 2010 May;151(5):2297-305
20237133
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Sep 14;101(37):13666-71
15342910
Mol Endocrinol. 2002 Dec;16(12):2872-91
12456806
J Neurosci. 2005 Dec 7;25(49):11349-56
16339030
Oncogene. 2007 Feb 26;26(9):1324-37
17322918
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1995 Jun;53(1-6):325-9
7626474
Endocrinology. 2009 Sep;150(9):4241-7
19497973
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 29;106(39):16692-7
19805359
Neuroendocrinology. 2004;80(4):264-72
15665556
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2002;25:507-36
12052919
J Neurosci. 2009 Aug 5;29(31):9714-8
19657024
Brain Res. 1985 Mar 18;330(1):55-64
2859086
Endocrinology. 2005 Apr;146(4):1689-97
15637288
Endocrinology. 2007 Apr;148(4):1774-83
17204549
J Neuroendocrinol. 2009 Mar;21(4):305-11
19207812
Endocrinology. 2004 Feb;145(2):495-9
14617578
J Reprod Dev. 2007 Apr;53(2):367-78
17213691
Front Neuroendocrinol. 1998 Oct;19(4):323-62
9799588
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Dec 9;94(25):14077-82
9391155
Cell. 2007 Feb 23;128(4):635-8
17320500
Endocrinology. 2009 Aug;150(8):3664-71
19443569
Endocrinology. 2008 Sep;149(9):4632-7
18499746
Trends Neurosci. 2007 Oct;30(10):504-11
17904653
Reproduction. 2006 Apr;131(4):623-30
16595713
Nature. 2001 May 31;411(6837):613-7
11385580
Neuroendocrinology. 1985 Jun;40(6):501-10
2861581
Eur J Neurosci. 2008 Feb;27(4):791-800
18333959
Endocrinology. 2005 Jan;146(1):156-63
15375028
Brain Res. 1992 May 8;579(2):321-6
1352729
Peptides. 2009 Jan;30(1):83-93
18644414
J Neurosci. 2006 Jun 21;26(25):6687-94
16793876
J Neuroendocrinol. 2009 Mar;21(4):393-9
19207822
J Neurobiol. 2006 Nov;66(13):1411-9
17013925
J Neurosci. 1998 Apr 15;18(8):3003-13
9526017
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Sep 16;100(19):10972-6
12944565
Physiol Behav. 2004 Nov 15;83(2):217-32
15488541
Nat Neurosci. 2004 Oct;7(10):1034-9
15452574
J Biol Chem. 2001 Aug 3;276(31):28969-75
11387329
Endocrinology. 1971 Jul;89(1):112-5
5089656