title: Steroidogenic factor 1 and the central nervous system.
abstract: Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1; officially designated NR5a1) is a member of a nuclear receptor superfamily with important roles in the development of endocrine systems. Studies with global and tissue-specific (i.e. central nervous system) knockout mice have revealed several roles of SF-1 in brain. These include morphological effects on the development of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and functional effects on body weight regulation through modulation of physical activity, anxiety-like behaviours and female sexual behaviours. Although such defects are almost certainly a result of the absence of SF-1 acting as a transcription factor in the hypothalamus, global SF-1 knockout mice also represent a model for studying the sex differences in the brain that develop in the absence of exposure to foetal sex steroid hormones as a result of the absence of gonads. In the present review, current knowledge of the roles of SF-1 protein in the central nervous system is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Animal Genomics, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Büdefeld
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tobet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Majdic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1