We have shown that the ovarian cycle is accompanied by a fall in the axosomatic synapses on randomly selected neurons of the arcuate nucleus by the morning of estrus, with a return to the preovulatory levels by the morning of metestrus, indicating a possible role in positive feedback. However, it remains to be proven that the circulating estradiol is the actual regulator of this physiological synaptic plasticity, or that estrogen-induced synaptic retraction precedes in the surge of gonadotropins at midcycle. To resolve these questions, we used an estradiol-immunoneutralization protocol and studied arcuate nucleus axosomatic synapses during the critical points of the estrous cycle. In addition to blocking positive feedback, estrogen immunoneutralization abolished synaptic retraction in the arcuate nucleus. As a positive control, the nonbinding estrogen diethylstilbestrol maintained the gonadotropin surge and synaptic retraction in the antiestradiol-treated animals. Furthermore, in the diluent-treated cycling control females, the synaptic retraction was found to precede the preovulatory LH surge. We demonstrated that the midcycle synaptic retraction of arcuate nucleus synapses is induced by the preovulatory estradiol surge, and that these morphological events precede the preovulatory gonadotropin surge. Taken together, these observations strongly suggest that the hypothalamic mechanism underlying the physiological disinhibition of gonadotropins at midcycle (positive feedback) requires estrogen-induced synaptic retraction in the arcuate nucleus.
We describe a liquid-phase nonseparation time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for measuring estrone-3-glucuronide in undiluted urine. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are similar to those for a conventional separation fluoroimmunoassay or radioimmunoassay, but the speed, convenience, precision, reliability, and clinical utility of the new method are more advantageous. The labeled antigen, a fluorescent europium chelate covalently linked to estrone-3-glucuronide, is incubated for 10 min with a limited concentration of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies to estrone-3-glucuronyl-6-bovine serum albumin and 10 microL of standard or sample (undiluted urine) in microtiter wells. The fluorescence emanating from the antibody-free label, which is proportional to the concentration of estrone-3-glucuronide in the standard or sample, is then measured in a time-resolved fluorometer. The method is useful for monitoring ovarian function in women.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.