Co-regulation of female sexual behavior and pregnancy induction: an exploratory synthesis

Erskine, Mary S.; Lehmann, Michael L.; Cameron, Nicole M.; Polston, Eva K.

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2004.01.026

Cited by 69 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 231 publications

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“…Mating trial pacing by the female rat is directly related to successful impregnation (Erskine et al, 2004). Our finding that A1221 significantly alters specific aspects of the timing of paced mating behaviors has relevance to wildlife exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as such animals may not get a second chance to mate and reproduce in order to ensure transmission of their genes to subsequent generations.…”

Section: A1221 Effects On Paced Mating Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Similarly, percent exits after mounts and intromissions were unaffected. These results indicate that only specific behaviors, and presumably specific neural circuits underlying these behaviors, are altered by fetal A1221 exposure.Mating trial pacing by the female rat is directly related to successful impregnation (Erskine et al, 2004). Our finding that A1221 significantly alters specific aspects of the timing of paced mating behaviors has relevance to wildlife exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as such animals may not get a second chance to mate and reproduce in order to ensure transmission of their genes to subsequent generations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 82%

“…The experimental female was then introduced to the escape chamber, and the opaque divider was lifted to begin the trial. Paced mating parameters were scored for statistical purposes through seven intromissions (Edmonds et al, 1972;Erskine et al, 2004). This choice was made because female rats receiving between 5 and 10 intromissions are most sensitive to mating trial pacing in the establishment of pregnancy (Erskine et al, 2004).…”

Section: Criteria Preparation For and Analysis Of Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paced mating parameters were scored for (Edmonds et al, 1972;Erskine et al, 2004). This choice was made because female rats receiving between 5 and 10 intromissions are most sensitive to mating trial pacing in the establishment of pregnancy (Erskine et al, 2004). As the number of intromissions to ejaculation was variable, we chose seven as a standard number for most analyses, and it falls within this range of 5 to 10.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female paced mating reproductive behaviors in rats

Steinberg

Juenger

Gore

2007

Hormones and Behavior

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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of toxicants that persist in measurable quantities in human and wildlife tissues, despite their ban in production in 1977. Some PCB mixtures can act as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) by mimicking or antagonizing the actions of hormones in the brain and periphery. When exposure to hormonally active substances such as PCBs occurs during vulnerable developmental periods, particularly prenatally or in early postnatal life, they can disrupt sex-specific patterning of the brain, inducing permanent changes that can later be manifested as improper sexual behaviors. Here, we investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to the PCB mixture Aroclor (A) 1221 on adult female reproductive behaviors in a dose-response model in the SpragueDawley rat. Using a paced mating paradigm that permits the female to set the timing of mating and control contact with the male during copulation, we were able to uncover significant differences in female-typical sexual activities in A1221-exposed females. Specifically, A1221 causes significant effects on mating trial pacing, vocalizations, ambulation and the female's likelihood to mate. The results further demonstrate that the intermediate treatment group has the greatest number of disrupted endpoints, suggestive of non-linear dose responses to A1221. These data demonstrate that the behavioral phenotype in adulthood is disrupted by low, ecologically relevant exposures to PCBs, and the results have implications for reproductive success and health in wildlife and women. KeywordsAroclor 1221; Paced mating; PCB; Female reproductive behavior; Endocrine disruption Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used in industry as inflammable coolants and lubricants and as components of paints and plastics. Banned in 1977 in response to dawning public awareness of their estrogenic and potentially toxic effects on humans and wildlife, PCBs continue to leach into soil, air and groundwater via retired industrial equipment, and from old factories and buildings. PCBs may have variable degrees of impact depending on which congeners or congener mixtures are involved, the organism's age at exposure, the sex of the individual, the degree of exposure and the availability of compensatory diet or social buffering to counteract those effects. An accurate evaluation of ecologically relevant xenobiotic exposure (Battershill, 1994;Brouwer et al., 1999).The neuroendocrine system serves as an interface between the central nervous system and peripheral endocrine organs, and thus represents a prime target for endocrine disruption by PCBs (Patisaul et al., 2006). PCBs and their metabolites can act at multiple nodes of the neuroendocrine axis: they may serve as hormone mimics (Connor et al., 1997), alter circulating hormone levels (Desaulniers et al., 1999), change patterns of estrous cyclicity (Meerts et al., 2004;Buitenhuis et al., 2004), disrupt hormone metabolism Kester et al., 2000;Yamane et al., 1975), influence endocrine-related and hypothalamic gene expression ...

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Section: A1221 Effects On Paced Mating Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 82%

mentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Criteria Preparation For and Analysis Of Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female paced mating reproductive behaviors in rats

Steinberg

Juenger

Gore

2007

Hormones and Behavior

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show abstract

“…The importance of self selection of mates has long been appreciated in animal husbandry, but the scientific study of this phenomenon has lagged, particularly in relation to mate choice. Yet experiments with flies (12), birds (13), and rodents (14,15) have the common result that those individuals who are allowed to select and be selected by their mate enjoy greater reproductive success than force-paired animals. This Complementarity Principle (11), in which each partner participates in the mate selection process, has broad implications for all animals, regardless of their mode of reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenerational epigenetic imprints on mate preference

Crews

Gore²,

Hsu³

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

384

322

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Environmental contamination by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) can have epigenetic effects (by DNA methylation) on the germ line and promote disease across subsequent generations. In natural populations, both sexes may encounter affected as well as unaffected individuals during the breeding season, and any diminution in attractiveness could compromise reproductive success. Here we examine mate preference in male and female rats whose progenitors had been treated with the antiandrogenic fungicide vinclozolin. This effect is sex-specific, and we demonstrate that females three generations removed from the exposure discriminate and prefer males who do not have a history of exposure, whereas similarly epigenetically imprinted males do not exhibit such a preference. The observations suggest that the consequences of EDCs are not just transgenerational but can be ''transpopulational'', because in many mammalian species, males are the dispersing sex. This result indicates that epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of EDC action represents an unappreciated force in sexual selection. Our observations provide direct experimental evidence for a role of epigenetics as a determinant factor in evolution.endocrine disruption ͉ vinclozolin ͉ sexual selection ͉ odor salience

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Variations in maternal care associated with differences in female rat reproductive behavior in a group‐mating environment

Prior

Meaney

Cameron

2012

Developmental Psychobiology

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Maternal care influences the development of sexual behavior in pair mating rats, under laboratory conditions. This study examined the effect of variations in maternal care in a group-mating condition. Groups of two low and two high licking/grooming (LG) female offspring mated with two males in a large pacing chamber for 36 hr. Sexual behaviors were scored for the first 15 vaginal-cervical stimulations (VCS) and the entire 36 hr. Low LG females spent more time mating, required more time to receive an intromission after entering the male compartment. They also received more ejaculations compared to high LG females during the first 15 VCS. This difference disappeared as mating continued. Males were more responsive to high than low females. No pregnancy rate difference was seen between the two female phenotypes, demonstrating that variation in maternal care received results in two mating strategies that are both reproductively successful under group-mating conditions.

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Co-regulation of female sexual behavior and pregnancy induction: an exploratory synthesis

Cited by 69 publications

References 231 publications

The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female paced mating reproductive behaviors in rats

The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult female paced mating reproductive behaviors in rats

Transgenerational epigenetic imprints on mate preference

Variations in maternal care associated with differences in female rat reproductive behavior in a group‐mating environment

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