PMID- 9365211
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19971202
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 0960-0760 (Print)
IS  - 0960-0760 (Linking)
VI  - 61
IP  - 3-6
DP  - 1997 Apr
TI  - Sex differences and androgen-dependent regulation of aromatase (CYP19) mRNA 
      expression in the developing and adult rat brain.
PG  - 359-64
AB  - Sex differences, androgen dependence and asymmetries of aromatase activity have 
      been reported during ontogeny of the rat. It remains to be elucidated, however, 
      whether the changes in aromatase activity are reflected by similar changes in 
      specific mRNA levels. In addition, very little is known regarding mechanism(s) 
      underlying such differential regulation of aromatase expression. To address these 
      questions, we have employed the in situ hybridization (ISH) technique to examine 
      specific mRNA levels in the brain of both male and female rats at selected stages 
      of development. In prenatal stages of development, at gestational day (GD) 18 and 
      20, aromatase mRNA was detected in several hypothalamic and limbic brain regions. 
      Semiquantitative analysis of aromatase mRNA did not reveal statistically 
      significant sex differences in any of these regions (except in one experiment at 
      GD20, when a sex difference was found in the medial preoptic nucleus). In 
      contrast, clear sex differences were determined at postnatal day (PN) 2; male 
      animals contained significantly more aromatase mRNA in the bed nucleus of the 
      stria terminalis (BST) and the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area 
      (SDN) compared to female rats. Four days later in development, at PN6, sex 
      differences of aromatase mRNA signals were observed in the BST, but were no 
      longer detectable in the SDN. At PN15 and in adult animals, no sex differences 
      could be determined. The effect of flutamide treatment (50 mg/kg/day) was 
      investigated in GD20 fetuses as well as in adult rats. No statistically 
      significant changes in aromatase mRNA expression were found in either case. In 
      summary, our results suggest that differential regulation of aromatase mRNA 
      expression during the critical period of sexual differentiation might, in part, 
      account for the establishment of some of the many sexually dimorphic parameters 
      of the rat brain. The role of androgens in the regulation of the sex-specific and 
      developmental expression of aromatase mRNA in the rat brain remains to be 
      clarified.
FAU - Lauber, M E
AU  - Lauber ME
AD  - Institute of Pharmacology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
FAU - Sarasin, A
AU  - Sarasin A
FAU - Lichtensteiger, W
AU  - Lichtensteiger W
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol
JT  - The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology
JID - 9015483
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - EC 1.14.14.1 (Aromatase)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Aromatase/*physiology
MH  - Brain/embryology/*enzymology
MH  - Female
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/*physiology
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/*physiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Pregnancy
MH  - RNA, Messenger/*analysis
MH  - Rats
MH  - Sex Factors
EDAT- 1997/04/01 00:00
MHDA- 1997/11/19 00:01
CRDT- 1997/04/01 00:00
PHST- 1997/04/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1997/11/19 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1997/04/01 00:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1997 Apr;61(3-6):359-64.