Oscillations of gene expression and physiological activity in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neurons result from autoregulatory feedback loops of circadian clock gene transcription factors. In the present experiment, we have determined the pattern of PERIOD1 (PER1), PERIOD2 (PER2), and CLOCK expression within neuroendocrine dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons (NDNs) of ovariectomized (OVX) rats. We have also determined the effects of per1, per2, and clock mRNA knockdown in the SCN with antisense deoxyoligonucleotides (AS-ODN) on DA release from NDNs. Diurnal rhythms of PER1 and PER2 expression in tuberoinfundibular DAergic (TIDA) and periventricular hypophyseal DAergic (PHDA) neurons, peaked at circadian time (CT)18 and CT12, respectively. Rhythms of PER1 expression in tuberhypophyseal neuroendocrine DAergic (THDA) neurons were undetectable. Rhythms of PER2 expression were found in all three populations of NDNs, with greater levels of PER2 expression between CT6 and CT12. AS-ODN injections differentially affected DA turnover in the axon terminals of the median eminence (ME), neural lobe (NL) and intermediate lobe (IL) of the pituitary gland, resulting in a significant decrease in DA release in the early subjective night in the ME (TIDA), a significant increase in DA release at the beginning of the day in the IL (PHDA), and no effect in the NL (THDA). AS-ODN-treatment induced a rhythm of DA concentration in the anterior lobe, with greater DA levels in the middle of the day. These data suggest that clock gene expression, particularly PER1 and PER2, within NDNs may act to modulate diurnal rhythms of DA release from NDNs in the OVX rat.prolactin; dopamine; suprachiasmatic nucleus; hypothalamus DOPAMINE (DA) of hypothalamic origin exerts tonic inhibitory control over prolactin (PRL) secretion (for review see Ref. 17). DA is released directly into hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal blood from three populations of neuroendocrine DAergic neurons (NDNs) (5, 17). These subpopulations include the tuberoinfundibular DAergic (TIDA) and tuberohypophyseal neuroendocrine DAergic (THDA,A12) neurons with cell bodies in the arcuate nucleus (ARN) and periventricular hypophyseal DAergic (PHDA,A14) neurons with cell bodies in the periventricular region (5, 17). THDA and PHDA axons traverse the pituitary stalk and terminate on fenestrated short portal vessels within the neural (NL) and intermediate (IL) lobes of the pituitary gland (21). TIDA axons terminate on fenestrated capillary beds within the external zone of the median eminence (ME) that drain into long portal vessels, transporting DA to the anterior lobe (AL) of the pituitary gland (8, 10). TIDA neurons are well established as the primary PRL inhibitory neurons, although growing importance has been assigned to both THDA and PHDA neurons in the regulation of PRL secretion (13, 21, 43, 52, 61).We have observed diurnal rhythms of DA turnover in the nerve terminals of TIDA, THDA, and PHDA neurons in the ovariectomized (OVX) rat (57, 58). Whereas both TIDA and PHDA neurons display circadian ...

In the female rat, a complex interplay of both stimulatory and inhibitory hypothalamic factors controls the secretion of prolactin. Prolactin regulates a large number of physiological processes from immunity to stress. In the following review, we have chosen to focus on the control of prolactin secretion in the female rat in response to suckling, mating and ovarian steroids. In all three of these states, dopamine, released from neurones in the mediobasal hypothalamus, is a potent inhibitory signal regulating prolactin secretion. Early research has determined that the relief of dopaminergic tone is not enough to account for the full surge of prolactin secretion observed in response to the suckling stimulus, launching a search for possible prolactin-releasing factors. This research has since broadened to include searching for prolactin-releasing factors controlling prolactin secretion following mating or ovarian steroids. A great deal of literature has suggested that this prolactin-releasing factor may include oxytocin. Oxytocin receptors are present on lactotrophs. These oxytocin receptors respond to exogenous oxytocin and antagonism of endogenous oxytocin inhibits lactotroph activity. In addition, the pattern of oxytocin neuronal activity and oxytocin release correlate with the release of prolactin. Here we suggest that not only is oxytocin stimulating prolactin secretion, but we also hypothesize that prolactin secretion is controlled by a complex network of positive (oxytocin) and negative (dopamine) feedback loops. In the present review, we will discuss this literature and attempt to describe the circuitry we believe may be responsible for controlling prolactin secretion.

Cervical stimulation induces two daily rhythmic prolactin surges, nocturnal and diurnal, which persist for several days. We have shown that a bolus injection of oxytocin initiates a similar prolactin rhythm, which persists despite low levels of oxytocin after injection. This suggests that oxytocin may trigger the cervical stimulation-induced rhythmic prolactin surges. To investigate this hypothesis, we infused an oxytocin antagonist that does not cross the blood-brain barrier for 24 h before and after cervical stimulation and measured serum prolactin. We also measured dopaminergic neuronal activity because mathematical modeling predicted that this activity would be low in the presence of the oxytocin antagonist. We thus tested this hypothesis by measuring dopaminergic neuronal activity in the tuberoinfundibular, periventricular hypophyseal, and tuberohypophyseal dopaminergic neurons. Infusion of oxytocin antagonist before cervical stimulation abolished prolactin surges, and infusion of oxytocin antagonist after cervical stimulation abolished the diurnal and significantly decreased the nocturnal surges of prolactin. The rhythmic prolactin surges returned after the clearance of the oxytocin antagonist. Hypothalamic dopaminergic activity was elevated in antiphase with prolactin surges, and the antiphase elevation was abolished by the oxytocin antagonist in the tuberoinfundibular and tuberohypophyseal dopaminergic neurons, consistent with the mathematical model. These findings suggest that oxytocin is a physiologically relevant prolactin-releasing factor. However, the cervical stimulation-induced prolactin surges are maintained even in the absence of oxytocin actions at the lactotroph, which strongly suggests the maintenance of prolactin surges are not dependent upon oxytocin actions at the pituitary gland.

Poletini MO, McKee DT, Kennett JE, Doster J, Freeman ME. Knockdown of clock genes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus blocks prolactin surges and alters FRA expression in the locus coeruleus of female rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 293: E1325-E1334, 2007. First published August 28, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00341.2007.-The nature of the circadian signal from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) required for prolactin (PRL) surges is unknown. Because the SCN neuronal circadian rhythm is determined by a feedback loop of Period (Per) 1, Per2, and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (Clock) gene expressions, we investigated the effect of SCN rhythmicity on PRL surges by disrupting this loop. Because lesion of the locus coeruleus (LC) abolishes PRL surges and these neurons receive SCN projections, we investigated the role of SCN rhythmicity in the LC neuronal circadian rhythm as a possible component of the circadian mechanism regulating PRL surges. Cycling rats on proestrous day and estradiol-treated ovariectomized rats received injections of antisense or random-sequence deoxyoligonucleotide cocktails for clock genes (Per1, Per2, and Clock) in the SCN, and blood samples were taken for PRL measurements. The percentage of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons immunoreactive to Fos-related antigen (FRA) was determined in ovariectomized rats submitted to the cocktail injections and in a 12:12-h light:dark (LD) or constant dark (DD) environment. The antisense cocktail abolished both the proestrous and the estradiolinduced PRL surges observed in the afternoon and the increase of FRA expression in the LC neurons at Zeitgeber time 14 in LD and at circadian time 14 in DD. Because SCN afferents and efferents were probably preserved, the SCN rhythmicity is essential for the magnitude of daily PRL surges in female rats as well as for LC neuronal circadian rhythm. SCN neurons therefore determine PRL secretory surges, possibly by modulating LC circadian neuronal activity. norepinephrine; PERIOD1; PERIOD2 IN FEMALE RATS, PROLACTIN (PRL) secretion has been proposed to result from synchronization among a circadian neural signal from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), both inhibitory and stimulatory neurotransmitter actions on the pituitary gland, and modulating effects of ovarian steroids (19). As a consequence of this synchronization, female rats display cyclical increases of PRL secretion characterized by two surges: the preovulatory surge of proestrous afternoon (64) and the secondary surge of estrous afternoon (12,70).The preovulatory surge of PRL depends on the levels of plasma ovarian steroids, because the increase of estradiol titers induces (45) and the increase of progesterone amplifies (76) this surge. Estradiol treatment in ovariectomized (OVX) rats induces daily PRL surges that occur at roughly the same time of day as the proestrous surge (13). Shifting of the light phase results in a coincident shift of the proestrous surge (10), and the estradiol-induced PRL surges of OVX rats free run in constant light (52), but the m...