PMID- 19084508
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20090317
LR  - 20211020
IS  - 1872-6240 (Electronic)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Print)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Linking)
VI  - 1253
DP  - 2009 Feb 9
TI  - Steroidogenic enzyme gene expression in the brain of the parthenogenetic whiptail 
      lizard, Cnemidophorus uniparens.
PG  - 129-38
LID - 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.11.071 [doi]
AB  - The steroidogenic enzyme CYP17 is responsible for catalyzing the production of 
      androgenic precursors, while CYP19 converts testosterone to estradiol. De novo 
      neurosteroidogenesis in specific brain regions influences steroid hormone 
      dependent behaviors. In the all-female lizard species Cnemidophorus uniparens, 
      individuals alternately display both male-like mounting and female-like 
      receptivity. Mounting is associated with high circulating concentrations of 
      progesterone following ovulation (PostOv), while receptivity is correlated with 
      estrogen preceding it (PreOv). At a neuroanatomical level, the preoptic area 
      (POA) and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) are the foci of the 
      male-typical mounting and female-typical receptivity, respectively. In this 
      study, we indirectly test the hypothesis that the whiptail lizard brain is 
      capable of de novo neurosteroidogenesis by cloning fragments of the genes 
      encoding two steroidogenic enzymes, CYP17 and CYP19, and examining their 
      expression patterns in the C. uniparens brain. Our data indicate that these genes 
      are expressed in the C. uniparens brain, and more importantly in the POA and VMN. 
      Using radioactive in situ hybridization, we measured higher CYP17 mRNA levels in 
      the POA of PostOv lizards compared to receptive PreOv animals; CYP19 mRNA levels 
      in the VMN did not change across the ovarian cycle. To our knowledge, these are 
      the first data suggesting that the reptilian brain is capable of de novo 
      steroidogenesis. This study also supports the idea that non-gonadal sources of 
      steroid hormones locally produced in behaviorally relevant brain loci are central 
      to the mediation of behavioral output.
FAU - Dias, Brian George
AU  - Dias BG
AD  - Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
FAU - Chin, Sonia Grace
AU  - Chin SG
FAU - Crews, David
AU  - Crews D
LA  - eng
GR  - R01 MH041770/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States
GR  - R01 MH041770-23/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States
GR  - MH 41770/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
DEP - 20081203
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Brain Res
JT  - Brain research
JID - 0045503
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - EC 1.14.14.1 (Aromatase)
RN  - EC 1.14.14.19 (Steroid 17-alpha-Hydroxylase)
SB  - IM
MH  - Analysis of Variance
MH  - Animals
MH  - Aromatase/genetics/metabolism
MH  - Base Sequence
MH  - Brain/*metabolism
MH  - Female
MH  - Finches
MH  - *Gene Expression
MH  - Humans
MH  - In Situ Hybridization
MH  - Lizards/*genetics/physiology
MH  - Menstrual Cycle
MH  - Mice
MH  - Molecular Sequence Data
MH  - Ovulation
MH  - Parthenogenesis
MH  - RNA, Messenger/genetics/metabolism
MH  - Software
MH  - Steroid 17-alpha-Hydroxylase/*genetics/*metabolism
MH  - Turtles
PMC - PMC2642926
MID - NIHMS82602
EDAT- 2008/12/17 09:00
MHDA- 2009/03/18 09:00
PMCR- 2010/02/09
CRDT- 2008/12/17 09:00
PHST- 2008/10/08 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2008/11/11 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2008/11/11 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2008/12/17 09:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2008/12/17 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2009/03/18 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2010/02/09 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - S0006-8993(08)02809-6 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.11.071 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Brain Res. 2009 Feb 9;1253:129-38. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.11.071. Epub 2008 
      Dec 3.