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The medial nucleus of the amygdala (Me) processes both chemosensory and hormonal input. In the male Syrian hamster the integrity of this nucleus is essential for normal reproductive behavior. To determine if gonadal steroids modulate neuronal structure in this nucleus, the morphology of Golgi-stained neurons in the anterior and posterior regions of Me were compared in castrated and reproductively intact adult hamsters. In castrated males, neurons in the posterior, but not the anterior, region of Me undergo structural changes, as indicated by a decrease in the mean highest dendritic branch level and mean somal area compared to intact males. To further elucidate the importance of testosterone and its metabolites in maintenance of neuronal structure in the adult, seven groups of male Syrian hamsters were studied. Animals were castrated and received a blank silastic capsule or a capsule filled with either testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, or estradiol, or two capsules containing both metabolites, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol. Two groups of reproductively intact animals were included: brains from one group were processed simultaneously with the castrated and hormone-treated groups (control intact group), and the other group was processed at the beginning of the experiment. Animals were tested for mating behavior and flank glands were measured to test whether the capsules were effective in releasing the hormones into circulation. After a 12-week survival period, the brains were processed with Golgi stain and well-impregnated neurons from the posterior Me were quantitatively analyzed for somal area, highest dendritic branch, total dendritic length, and density of spines. All the measures analyzed revealed a consistent pattern of response to the different gonadal steroids. Castration resulted in a decrease in the mean somal area, the mean highest dendritic branch, and the percentage of neurons with tertiary branch segments. Dihydrotestosterone treatment also resulted in a significant decrease in somal area, mean highest dendritic branch, and percentage of neurons with tertiary dendritic branches. In addition, the total dendritic length and spine density on terminal dendrites were reduced in these brains. The remaining hormone treatment groups were not significantly different from the control group. These results suggest that in orchidectomized male Syrian hamsters, testosterone or its aromatized form, estradiol, but not dihydrotestosterone, is sufficient to maintain the normal morphology of the neurons in the posterior part of the medial nucleus of the amygdala.
Anat Rec 1991 Dec
PMID:Medial nucleus of the amygdala in the adult Syrian hamster: a quantitative Golgi analysis of gonadal hormonal regulation of neuronal morphology. 179 77

Follicle regulatory protein (FRP) isolated from porcine ovarian follicles influences folliculogenesis through a paracrine mechanism. A similar protein has been found in the testes and seems to have some inhibitory effects on spermatogenesis when administered to intact male experimental animals. On the basis of female and male studies, it has been ascertained that the effects of FRP are at the level of gonads and not the pituitary or the hypothalamus. In the studies with intact males it was not possible to determine the exact site of FRP action on the testes. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has been shown to maintain spermatogenesis in hypophysectomized rats. In order to determine if the inhibitory effects of FRP are at steps prior to the formation of DHT, FRP was administered to hypophysectomized rats that were injected with DHT. Groups of adult rats were hypophysectomized and treated daily with FRP, DHT, FRP + DHT, or vehicle alone for 30 days. At necropsy, body, testes, prostate glands, and seminal vesicle weights were recorded. One testis and sexual accessory glands were fixed for histological evaluation. The contralateral testis was decapsulated, six 2 mm segments of seminiferous tubules, representing defined stages of spermatogenesis, were isolated by transillumination-assisted microdissection, and spermatogenic cells were quantified by DNA flow cytometry. Histologically, the seminiferous tubules of vehicle-treated hypophysectomized controls showed advanced regression. Rats treated with FRP alone showed similar degeneration. On the other hand, rats treated with DHT showed maintenance of spermatogenesis comparable to normal controls. The testes of rats treated with FRP + DHT were indistinguishable from those treated with DHT only. Flow cytometric quantification of germinal cells from all groups confirmed the histological findings. In this study FRP did not exert deleterious effects on DHT-maintained spermatogenesis. This finding suggests that the inhibitory effects of FRP on spermatogenesis in intact animals may not be a direct effect on spermatogenic cells but may impair androgen action or production or DHT formation.
Anat Rec 1989 Aug
PMID:Quantitative assessment of the biological effects of follicle regulatory protein on dihydrotestosterone-maintained spermatogenesis in hypophysectomized rat. 278 30

There exists a sexual dimorphism in the occurrence of meningiomas. Biochemical binding assays conducted on samples of meningiomas have indicated a high incidence of progesterone and androgen receptors in these tumors. However, similar studies have been very controversial as to the existence of estrogen receptors in these tumors. The present study was conducted to determine whether the normal leptomenix contains estrogen and androgen receptors in a primate model, namely the baboon. Three male and three female baboons were injected with either 3H-dihydrotestosterone (3H-DHT) or 3H-estradiol. One animal from each group received 3H-steroid + 100-fold unlabeled corresponding steroid to serve as control. One hour after injection of the 3H-steroids the animals were sacrificed. Their brains were removed and processed for autoradiography. Nuclear uptake and retention of 3H-DHT and/or one of its metabolites was found in 25-50% of the cells in pieces of the arachnoid adhering to the brain, cells of the glial membrane, cells in large fiber bundles, presumably oligodendroglia, and cells lining the Virchow-Robins spaces. No such localization was found with 3H-estradiol. This study provides the first anatomical evidence for the presence of androgen receptors in the normal leptomenix and glial cells of the baboon. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible clinical significance of the use of steroids to modulate the growth of meningiomas.
Anat Rec 1988 Apr
PMID:The leptomenix in normal baboon brain contain receptors for dihydrotestosterone but not estradiol. 338 35