title: [Profiles of reproduction-related mRNA expressions in hypothalamus of female mice with advancing age].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of aging on the levels of reproduction-related mRNA genes including Gnrh, KISS1/KISS1r, estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), estrogen receptor-beta (ERβ) and progesterone receptor (PR) in hypothalamus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proestrus and metestrus in young (3-4 months) and middle-aged (10-11 months) female mice and diestrus in senile (18-19 months) female mice were observed. And the levels of related mRNA genes in preoptic area anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH) and medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In middle-aged mice on proestrus, the level of Gnrh mRNA in POA-AH (0.896 ± 0.049) was significantly lower than that in young mice (1.228 ± 0.147, P = 0.049). The level of ERα mRNA in POA-AH decreased in young mice on proestrus whereas increased in middle-aged mice (0.432 ± 0.063 vs 0.603 ± 0.018, P = 0.016). The level of ERα mRNA of POA-AH, both in middle-aged mice (0.432 ± 0.063, P = 0.014) and senile mice (0.403 ± 0.145, P = 0.020) on diestrus, were significantly lower than that in young mice. The PR mRNA expression in middle-aged mice on proestrus (1.037 ± 0.037) was markedly lower than that in young mice (1.251 ± 0.081, P = 0.031) . In senile mice, the levels of Gnrh mRNA (1.520 ± 0.146, P = 0.004) and ERβ mRNA (1.572 ± 0.184, P = 0.011) increased in POA-AH compared with that in young mice on metestrus. Aging had no effect upon KISS1 and KISS1r mRNA levels in POA-AH. In contrast, KISS1 mRNA level of MBH in middle-aged (1.663 ± 0.398, P = 0.037) and senile (2.622 ± 0.454, P = 0.014) mice obviously increased compared with the young mice group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher levels of ERα mRNA and decreases of PR and Gnrh mRNA in POA-AH in middle-aged mice on proestrus may play an important role in declining reproductive function.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Aging & Neurodegenerative Disease, Fujian Institute of Geriatrics, Fuzhou 350001, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lu-meng
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiao-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Email: chenxc998@mail.fjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiao-chun
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone