title: Expression of androgen receptor in the brain of a sub-oscine bird with an elaborate courtship display.
abstract: Sex steroids control vertebrate behavior by modulating neural circuits specialized for sex steroid sensitivity. In birds, receptors for androgens (AR) and estrogens (ERα) show conserved expression in neural circuits controlling copulatory and vocal behaviors. Male golden-collared manakins have become a model for evaluating hormonal control of complex physical courtship displays. These birds perform visually and acoustically elaborate displays involving considerable neuromuscular coordination. Androgens activate manakin courtship and AR are expressed widely in spinal circuits and peripheral muscles utilized in courtship. Using in situ hybridization, we report here the distributions of AR and ERα mRNA in the brains of golden-collared manakins. Overall patterns of AR and ERα mRNA expression resemble what has been observed in non-vocal learning species. Notably, however, we detected a large area of AR expression in the arcopallium, a forebrain region that contains a crucial premotor song nucleus in vocal learning species. These results support the idea that AR signaling both centrally and peripherally is responsible for the activation of male manakin courtship, and the arcopallium is likely a premotor site for AR-mediated displays.
authors: Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy. Electronic address: leofusani@gmail.com.
authors: Leonida
authors: L
authors: Fusani
authors: Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10023, USA.
authors: Zoe
authors: Z
authors: Donaldson
authors: Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Sarah E
authors: SE
authors: London
authors: Departments of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors: Matthew J
authors: MJ
authors: Fuxjager
authors: Departments of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: schlinge@lifesci.ucla.edu.
authors: Barney A
authors: BA
authors: Schlinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003380:Courtship; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D046109:Passeriformes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011944:Receptors, Androgen
keywords: Androgen receptor; Avian; Bird; Courtship; Estrogen receptor