IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR IN THE FACIAL NUCLEUS OF THE NEWBORN RAT BY 3 ANTIBODIES WITH DISTINCT EPITOPES

With the aid of three different antibodies, which recognize specific parts of the native estrogen receptor (ER) molecule, expression of the ER was confirmed not only in the hypothalamus but also in the ventromedial subdivision of the facial nucleus (n7) in neonatal (7-day-old) rats. In contrast, in 3-week-old prepubertal rats, the ER was detected in the hypothalamus and the amygdala, but not in the n7. Thus, the expression of ER in the n7 was shown to be a transient phenomenon: Transient appearance of ER has also been reported in the cerebral cortex of newborn rats and; mice. Physiological significance of transient appearance of ER molecules in this subdivision is speculated as being related to the auditory function. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.