PMID- 7925130
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19941024
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 0013-7227 (Print)
IS  - 0013-7227 (Linking)
VI  - 135
IP  - 4
DP  - 1994 Oct
TI  - Pre- and postnatal ontogeny of aromatase cytochrome P450 messenger ribonucleic 
      acid expression in the male rat brain studied by in situ hybridization.
PG  - 1661-8
AB  - A central step in the development and sexual differentiation of the brain is the 
      intraneuronal conversion of testosterone to estrogen. This conversion is 
      catalyzed by an enzyme complex comprised of cytochrome P450 aromatase and the 
      ubiquitous NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 reductase. Brain aromatase activity is 
      developmentally regulated and expressed only in specific hypothalamic and limbic 
      structures. To determine whether developmental change in aromatase activity are 
      the result of differential regulation of aromatase gene expression, we designed 
      two specific oligonucleotides complementary to a 5'-region or to the heme-binding 
      region of the rat aromatase complementary DNA. Relative amounts of messenger RNA 
      (mRNA) encoding aromatase cytochrome P450 were examined on cryostat sections from 
      male fetuses and offspring of time-pregnant Long-Evans rats using the in situ 
      hybridization technique. On gestational day (GD) 16 (GD 1 = 24 h after mating), 
      aromatase-specific mRNA was detected in the preoptic/hypothalamic area. On GD18 
      and GD20, aromatase mRNA expression was more abundant and more widespread. High 
      levels of mRNA were detected in the medical preoptic nucleus, the sexually 
      dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area, the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, and 
      the medial amygdala. Lower levels were found in the periventricular preoptic 
      nucleus and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. On postnatal day (PN) 2 and 
      throughout further development (PN6, PN15, and adult), aromatase mRNA decreased 
      to much lower levels in the preoptic area, but remained high in the bed nucleus 
      of stria terminalis and amygdala. An intermediate situation, i.e. transient 
      expression with a peak around birth, was observed for aromatase mRNA levels in 
      the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Interestingly, during early postnatal 
      development, specific aromatase mRNA was also detected in the hippocampal 
      formation as well as in the subfornical organ. In summary, these results 
      demonstrate that the low quantities of aromatase transcripts in the developing 
      rat brain can be detected by means of in situ hybridization. Depending on the 
      particular region examined, aromatase expression appears to be subjected to 
      different developmental programs. As the expression of aromatase mRNA parallels 
      the results obtained from activity assays, it is likely that developmental 
      changes in aromatase activity are the result of regulation of aromatase gene 
      expression.
FAU - Lauber, M E
AU  - Lauber ME
AD  - Institute of Pharmacology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Lichtensteiger, W
AU  - Lichtensteiger W
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Endocrinology
JT  - Endocrinology
JID - 0375040
RN  - 0 (Oligonucleotides)
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - EC 1.14.14.1 (Aromatase)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Aromatase/analysis/*genetics
MH  - Base Sequence
MH  - Brain/*enzymology
MH  - *Brain Chemistry
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
MH  - In Situ Hybridization
MH  - Male
MH  - Molecular Sequence Data
MH  - Oligonucleotides/metabolism
MH  - RNA, Messenger/*analysis/genetics
MH  - Rats
EDAT- 1994/10/01 00:00
MHDA- 1994/10/01 00:01
CRDT- 1994/10/01 00:00
PHST- 1994/10/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1994/10/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1994/10/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1210/endo.135.4.7925130 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Endocrinology. 1994 Oct;135(4):1661-8. doi: 10.1210/endo.135.4.7925130.