Neuronal activation of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in female and male rats during copulation and its sex differences

2021 ◽  
Vol 755 ◽  
pp. 135915
Author(s):  
Masahiro Morishita ◽  
Arisa Kamada ◽  
Shinji Tsukahara
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Preoptic Area ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Neuronal Activation ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus

Perinatal Androgenization Prevents Age-Related Neuron Loss in the Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area in Female Rats

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaw-Lang Yang ◽  
Yu-Yang Chen ◽  
Ya-Lun Hsieh ◽  
Su-Hwa Jin ◽  
Hseng-Kuang Hsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preoptic Area ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Neuron Loss ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus

scholarly journals Estrogen Receptor α Gene Promoter 0/B Usage in the Rat Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area

Endocrinology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 1923-1928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Hamada ◽  
Yasuo Sakuma
Keyword(s):  
Estrogen Receptor ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Preoptic Area ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Estrogen Receptor Α ◽  
Egfp Expression ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Transgenic Rats ◽  
The Core ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus

The volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) is two to four times larger in male rats than in females; however, the mechanism for the establishment of sexual dimorphism and the function of this nucleus is almost unknown. Perinatal estrogen can cause sexual dimorphism via the estrogen receptor α (ERα). Recently, transgenic rats were generated that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the ERα gene promoter 0/B to tag ERα-positive neurons in the brain. In the present study, we examined whether this EGFP expression could be a marker for the SDN-POA in adults. EGFP-labeled cells were distributed in the core of the SDN-POA (0/B-SDN) of male and female transgenic rats, in accordance with the Nissl staining and immunoreactivity for the SDN marker, calbindin. They were also immunoreactive for ERα. The core was bigger in volume and contained more 0/B-SDN neurons in males than in females. The EGFP-tagged cells were packed more densely in the female core than that in males. Subcutaneous injection of 100 μg 17β-estradiol to females on the day of birth, or orchidectomy of male neonates, reversed the sexually dimorphic phenotype of the volume of the 0/B-SDN, despite not affecting the cell number. We suggest that this EGFP expression in the SDN-POA could be a useful marker to clarify the sexual differentiation and function of the SDN-POA. Moreover, the ERα gene promoter 0/B plays a key role in the organization of the sexual differentiation of the SDN-POA.

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