EQUIVALENT LEVELS OF MATING-INDUCED NEURAL C-FOS IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN CASTRATED MALE-RATS GIVEN ANDROGEN, ESTROGEN, OR NO STEROID REPLACEMENT

被引:34
作者
BAUM, MJ
WERSINGER, SR
机构
[1] Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
关键词
D O I
10.1095/biolreprod48.6.1341
中图分类号
Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
The nuclear protein product (FOS) of the immediate-early gene, c-fos, was visualized immunocytochemically in the brains of male rats after they either achieved 8 intromissions with an estrous female or were left alone in a test arena. Mating induced equivalent increments in the number of FOS immunoreactive (IR) neurons present in the medial preoptic area (mPOA), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and the medial amygdala in groups of males that were gonadally intact or had been castrated and treated for 7 days with either testosterone propionate, dihydrotestosterone propionate, estradiol benzoate (EB), or oil vehicle. Equivalent, low numbers of FOS-IR neurons were seen in these brain regions in additional groups of castrated males that received either EB or oil vehicle but were not paired with a female before being killed. Circulating sex steroids apparently contribute little to rhe mating-induced stimulation of c-fos gene expression, even in brain regions known to contain high levels of androgen and estrogen receptor.
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页码:1341 / 1347
页数:7
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