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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Estrogens control many physiological and behavioral processes, some of which are connected to reproduction. These include sexual and other social behaviors. Here we implicate four gene products in a micronet required for mammalian social recognition, through which an individual learns to recognize other individuals. Female mice whose genes for the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) or the estrogen receptor (ER)-beta or ER-alpha had been selectively "knocked out" were deficient specifically in social recognition and social anxiety. There was a remarkable parallelism among results from three separate gene knockouts. The data strongly suggest the involvement in social recognition of the four genes coding for ER-alpha, ER-beta, OT, and the OT receptor. We thus propose here a four-gene micronet, which links hypothalamic and limbic forebrain neurons in the estrogen control over the OT regulation of social recognition. In our model, estrogens act on the OT system at two levels: through ER-beta, they regulate the production of OT in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, and through ER-alpha, they drive the transcription of the OT receptor in the amygdala. The proper operation of a social recognition mechanism allows for the expression of appropriate social behaviors, aggressive or affiliative.
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PMID:An estrogen-dependent four-gene micronet regulating social recognition: a study with oxytocin and estrogen receptor-alpha and -beta knockout mice. 1273 Mar 70

The vasopressin (VP) magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) in the supraoptic and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei are regulated by estrogen and exhibit robust expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-beta. In contrast, only approximately 7.5% of oxytocin (OT) MNCs express ER-beta. We examined the osmotic regulation of ER-beta mRNA expression in MNCs using quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry. Hyper-osmolality induced via 2% hypertonic saline ingestion significantly decreased, whereas sustained hypo-osmolality induced via d-d-arginine VP and liquid diet increased ER-beta mRNA expression in MNCs (p < 0.05). Thus, the expression of ER-beta mRNA correlated inversely with changes in plasma osmolality. Because hyper-osmolality is a potent stimulus for VP and OT release, this suggests an inhibitory role for ER-beta in MNCs. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that the decrease in ER-beta mRNA was translated into depletion of receptor protein content in hyper-osmotic animals. Numerous MNCs were positive for ER-beta in control animals, but they were virtually devoid of ER-beta-immunoreactivity (IR) in hyper-osmotic animals. The osmotically induced decrease in ER-beta expression was selective for MNCs because ER-beta-IR remained unaltered in PVN parvocellular neurons. Plasma estradiol and testosterone were not correlated with ER-beta mRNA expression after osmotic manipulation, suggesting that ER-beta expression was not driven by ligand availability. Expression of FOS-IR in MNCs with attenuated ER-beta-IR, and the absence of FOS-IR in parvocellular neurons that retain ER-beta-IR suggest a role for neuronal activation in the regulation of ER-beta expression in MNCs. Thus, osmotic modulation of ER-beta expression in MNCs may augment or attenuate an inhibitory effect of gonadal steroids on VP release.
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PMID:Osmotic regulation of estrogen receptor-beta in rat vasopressin and oxytocin neurons. 1276 14

Lactating rats exhibit stable individual differences in pup licking/grooming (LG) over the first week postpartum. Such naturally occurring variations in maternal behavior are associated with differences in estrogen-inducible oxytocin receptors in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus. We compared levels of ER alpha and ER beta mRNA in the MPOA of lactating High or Low LG mothers as well as in their nonlactating, female offspring, which inherit the maternal phenotype of their mothers. Among lactating females, High LG females exhibited significantly elevated levels of ER alpha mRNA compared with Low LG females. Likewise, the adult, virgin female offspring of High LG mothers showed higher levels of ER alpha mRNA in the MPOA compared with those of Low LG mothers. There were no group differences in levels of ER beta mRNA. Differences in ER alpha protein expression in the MPOA were confirmed using Western blot analysis. To further characterize the effects of estrogen in the MPOA, cFos immunoreactivity was compared in ovariectomized, adult offspring of High and Low LG dams treated with estradiol or oil. Increased cFos activity in the anterior ventral nucleus of the MPOA was observed in estradiol-treated High LG, but not Low LG females. These findings suggest that natural variations in maternal care are associated with differences in ER alpha expression in the MPOA and that such differences are transmitted from the mother to her female offspring.
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PMID:Natural variations in maternal care are associated with estrogen receptor alpha expression and estrogen sensitivity in the medial preoptic area. 1457 23

Although various types of group living are widespread in mammals, including humans, the study of the hormonal and genetic underpinnings of nonsexual social behaviour, is in its infancy compared to the analysis of sexual behaviour mechanisms. Oxytocin, vasopressin and gonadal hormones certainly play an important role. Social recognition, where animals identify and recognize other individual conspecifics, is a crucial prerequisite for the occurrence of a wide range of social behaviours. Social recognition is also important for coping with one major cost of life in a group: the increased risk of exposure to parasites and infection. We review recent functional genomic studies on the involvement of oxytocin and oestrogen-receptor genes in the regulation of social recognition in mice and in the ecologically relevant context of parasite recognition and avoidance. Based on quantitative studies of social recognition with gene-knockout mice and with antisense DNA, we propose a four-gene micronet contributing to social recognition. This micronet involves the genes coding for oestrogen receptors alpha (ER-alpha), beta (ER-beta), oxytocin and the oxytocin receptor. In this model, circulating oestrogens promote transcription of (i) oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus through ER-beta and (ii) oxytocin receptor in the amygdala through ER-alpha. This model forms the core around which increasingly complex genetic, hormonal and neural interactions associated with social behaviours and recognition can be organized.
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PMID:Functional genomics of social recognition. 1508 79

A major cost of social behavior is the increased risk of exposure to parasites and infection. Animals utilize social information, including chemical signals, to recognize and avoid conspecifics infected with either endoparasites or ectoparasites. Here, we briefly discuss the relations among odors, parasite recognition, and avoidance, and consider some of the associated hormonal, neural, and genomic mechanisms. In rodents, odor cues mediate sexual and competitive interactions and are of major importance in individual recognition and mate detection and choice. Female mice distinguish between infected and uninfected males by urinary odors, displaying aversive response to, and avoidance of, the odors of infected individuals. This reduces both the likelihood of the transmission of parasites to themselves and allows females to select for parasite-free males. This set of olfactory and mate choice responses can be further modulated by social factors such as previous experience and exposure to infected males and the mate choices of other females. Male mice, who also face the threat of infection, similarly distinguish and avoid parasitized individuals by odor, thus reducing their likelihood of infection. This recognition and avoidance of the odors of infected individuals involves genes for the neuropeptide, oxytocin (OT), and estrogenic mechanisms. Mice with deletions of the oxytocin gene [OT knockout mice (OTKO)] and mice whose genes for estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha or ER-beta have been disrupted [ER knockout mice (ERKO), alpha-ERKO and beta-ERKO] are specifically impaired in their recognition of, aversion to, and memory of the odors of infected individuals. These findings reveal some of the genes involved in the mediation of social recognition in the ecologically relevant context of parasite recognition and avoidance.
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PMID:Olfactory-mediated parasite recognition and avoidance: linking genes to behavior. 1532 28

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and ER-beta exhibit fine differences in their distributions in the rodent forebrain, and one such difference is observed in the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei. To investigate the functional significance of ER in these brain areas, we examined the neuropeptide characteristics of ER-expressing neurons in the PVN and SON of female rats by using dual-label immunocytochemistry. The distributions of ER-alpha immunoreactivity (ir) and ER-beta ir were nonoverlapping in the PVN and SON. Nuclear ER-alpha ir was found in a population of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-expressing neurons in the PVN (5.93% +/- 1.20% SEM), but not in any other identified cell phenotype of the PVN and SON. The phenotype of neurons with the highest percentage expressing ER-beta was found to be prolactin (PRL) immunoreactive in both the parvocellular (84.95% +/- 4.11%) and the magnocellular (84.76% +/- 3.40%) parts of the PVN as well as the SON (87.57% +/- 4.64%). Similarly, most vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons were also ER-beta positive in the PVN (66.14% +/- 2.47%) and SON (72.42% +/- 4.51%). In contrast, although a high percentage of oxytocin (OXY) neurons coexpressed ER-beta in the PVN (84.39% +/- 2.99%), there was very little ER-beta/OXY colocalization in the SON. Low levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons also expressed ER-beta ir in the PVN (12.57% +/- 1.99%), but there was no ER-beta colocalization with TRH. In summary, these findings further support the possibility of direct effects of estrogen on neuropeptide expression and implicate estrogen involvement in the regulation of various aspects of neuroendocrine function.
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PMID:Estrogen receptor-beta, but not estrogen receptor-alpha, is expressed in prolactin neurons of the female rat paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei: comparison with other neuropeptides. 1571 9

In many species of animals chemical stimuli are an important source of information about the threats and dangers present in the social and non-social world. Olfactory cues play a fundamental role in modulating social recognition and interactions in a wide variety of mammals. Rodents, in particular, utilize chemical signals, to recognize and avoid conspecifics infected with parasites and other pathogens. Animals also respond to, and utilize, predator odor related information to assess and minimize their risk of predation. In this review, we briefly focus on the relations between odors, parasite recognition and avoidance and consider some of the associated hormonal, neural and genomic mechanisms. We describe how both male and female rodents distinguish between infected and uninfected males on the basis of odors, displaying aversive response to, and avoidance of, the urine odors of infected individuals. We further describe how the recognition and avoidance of the odors of infected individuals involves genes for the neuropeptide, oxytocin, (OT), and estrogenic mechanisms. We show that mice with deletions of the oxytocin gene (OT knockout mice (OTKO)) and mice whose genes for estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha or ER-beta [ER knockout mice (ERKO), alphaERKO and betaERKO] have been disrupted are specifically impaired in their recognition, avoidance, and memory of the odors of infected individuals. We contrast this with the recognition and display of aversive responses to predator (cat) odor that are insensitive to these genetic manipulations. These findings reveal some of the mechanisms associated with the olfactory mediated recognition of parasitized individuals and predators.
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PMID:Recognition and avoidance of the odors of parasitized conspecifics and predators: differential genomic correlates. 1605 89

In this review we critically examine the data on functions of the estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in both behavior and neuroendocrinology. The influence of estradiol via the ERbeta has been assessed using several methods: estrogen receptor knockout mice, specific ERbeta selective agonists, and phytoestrogens which preferentially bind to ERbeta rather than ERalpha. The behavior for which a solid database and consensus is forming is anxiety; activation of ERbeta reduces anxiety on a number of tasks and in several species. Moreover, the relationship between ERbeta and serotonin may be critical for the regulation of this behavior by estradiol. There have been very few studies on learning and memory but the little we know suggests that ERbeta is involved in visuospatial learning; in its absence learning is inhibited. Recent work has suggested a unique function for ERbeta in sexual differentiation; its activation in male neonates may promote defeminization of sexual behavior. Several neurotransmitter-containing neurons in the rat paraventricular nucleus coexpress ERbeta including; vasopressin, oxytocin, prolactin, and to a lesser extent corticotrophin releasing hormone. Given the potential for ERbeta to interact with these important neurotransmitters and its co-expression in gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons it is surprising how normal the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and -gonadal axes appear to be in ERbeta knockout mice. Either this represents a species difference (the neuroanatomy has been conducted in the rat) or compensatory actions of ERalpha or other mechanisms. Exciting avenues for future research include; in vivo interactions between ERalpha and ERbeta, actions of non-estrogenic ligands with ERbeta, and the role of ERbeta in sexual differentiation.
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PMID:New roles for estrogen receptor beta in behavior and neuroendocrinology. 1660 34

Social recognition, processing, and retaining information about conspecific individuals is crucial for the development of normal social relationships. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is necessary for social recognition in male and female mice, with its effects being modulated by estrogens in females. In previous studies, mice whose genes for the estrogen receptor-alpha (alpha-ERKO) and estrogen receptor-beta (beta-ERKO) as well as OTKO were knocked out failed to habituate to a repeatedly presented conspecific and to dishabituate when the familiar mouse is replaced by a novel animal (Choleris et al. 2003, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100, 6192-6197). However, a binary social discrimination assay, where animals are given a simultaneous choice between a familiar and a previously unknown individual, offers a more direct test of social recognition. Here, we used alpha-ERKO, beta-ERKO, and OTKO female mice in the binary social discrimination paradigm. Differently from their wild-type controls, when given a choice, the KO mice showed either reduced (beta-ERKO) or completely impaired (OTKO and alpha-ERKO) social discrimination. Detailed behavioral analyses indicate that all of the KO mice have reduced anxiety-related stretched approaches to the social stimulus with no overall impairment in horizontal and vertical activity, non-social investigation, and various other behaviors such as, self-grooming, digging, and inactivity. Therefore, the OT, ER-alpha, and ER-beta genes are necessary, to different degrees, for social discrimination and, thus, for the modulation of social behavior (e.g. aggression, affiliation).
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PMID:Involvement of estrogen receptor alpha, beta and oxytocin in social discrimination: A detailed behavioral analysis with knockout female mice. 1701 99

Social and sexual incentive motivation, defined as the intensity of approach to a social and a sexual incentive, respectively, were studied in female Swiss Webster mice. In the first experiment, the social incentive was a castrated mouse of the same strain as the females, whereas the sexual incentive was an intact male mouse of the same strain. Ovariectomized females were first tested after oil treatment and then after administration of estradiol benzoate + progesterone in doses sufficient to induce full receptivity. The hormones increased sexual incentive motivation while leaving social incentive motivation unaffected. This suggests that sexual incentive motivation in the female mouse is dependent on ovarian hormones. In the next experiment, ovariectomized females were tested with an intact, male estrogen receptor alpha knockout and its wild type as incentives, first without hormones and then when fully receptive. There were no differences in incentive properties between the wild type and the knockout. In a similar experiment, we used an intact male estrogen receptor beta knockout and its corresponding wild type as incentives. The wild type turned out to be a more attractive social incentive than the knockout, while they were equivalent as sexual incentives. Finally, an intact male oxytocin knockout and its wild type were used as incentives. The knockout turned out to be a superior incentive, particularly a superior sexual incentive. The fact that the estrogen receptor beta and oxytocin knockouts have incentive properties different from their wild types may be important to consider in studies of these knockouts' sociosexual behaviors.
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PMID:Social and sexual incentive properties of estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, or oxytocin knockout mice. 1750 45


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