title: Moxd1 Is a Marker for Sexual Dimorphism in the Medial Preoptic Area, Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and Medial Amygdala.
abstract: The brain shows various sex differences in its structures. Various mammalian species exhibit sex differences in the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) and parts of the extended amygdala such as the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTpr) and posterodorsal part of the medial amygdala (MePD). The SDN-POA and BNSTpr are male-biased sexually dimorphic nuclei, and characterized by the expression of calbindin D-28K (calbindin 1). However, calbindin-immunoreactive cells are not restricted to the SDN-POA, but widely distributed outside of the SDN-POA. To find genes that are more specific to sexually dimorphic nuclei, we selected candidate genes by searching the Allen brain atlas and examined the detailed expressions of the candidate genes usingin situhybridization. We found that the strong expression ofmonooxygenase DBH-like 1(Moxd1) was restricted to the SDN-POA, BNSTpr and MePD. The numbers ofMoxd1-positive cells in the SDN-POA, BNSTpr and MePD in male mice were larger than those in female mice. Most of theMoxd1-positive cells in the SDN-POA and BNSTpr expressed calbindin. Neonatal castration of male mice reduced the number ofMoxd1-positive cells in the SDN-POA, whereas gonadectomy in adulthood did not change the expression of theMoxd1gene in the SDN-POA in both sexes. These results suggest that theMoxd1gene is a suitable marker for sexual dimorphic nuclei in the POA, BNST and amygdala, which enables us to manipulate sexually dimorphic neurons to examine their roles in sex-biased physiology and behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuneoka
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsukahara
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho UniversityTokyo, Japan; Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology AgencySaitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho UniversityTokyo, Japan; Laboratory of Psychology, Jichi Medical UniversityTochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenkichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho UniversityTokyo, Japan; International Institutes for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of TsukubaIbaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Funato
keywords: BNST; MPOA; Moxd1; SDN; amygdala; calbindin; masculinization; molecular marker