BRAIN IS THE MAJOR SITE OF ESTROGEN SYNTHESIS IN A MALE SONGBIRD

被引:181
作者
SCHLINGER, BA [1 ]
ARNOLD, AP [1 ]
机构
[1] UNIV CALIF LOS ANGELES, BRAIN RES INST, NEUROENDOCRINOL LAB, LOS ANGELES, CA 90024 USA
关键词
AROMATASE; TELENCEPHALON; ADRENAL; TESTIS; ZEBRA FINCH;
D O I
10.1073/pnas.88.10.4191
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
The neural system controlling song in passerine birds can undergo striking morphological and functional changes during both development and adulthood, and many of these changes are regulated by estrogenic hormones. Estrogens circulate at high levels in blood of male songbirds and persist after castration. We measured the activity of aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens, in various tissues from adult male and female zebra finches. As expected, aromatase activity was present in male hypothalamus/preoptic area and pituitary and female ovary, but aromatase was unusually active in whole telencephalon of males and females. By contrast, activity was undetected in testes, adrenals, or other tissues of males. These results suggest that brain is the source of circulating estrogens in the male zebra finch and that estrogen actions on the song system result from local rather than peripheral aromatization.
引用
收藏
页码:4191 / 4194
页数:4
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