Distribution of progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in the midbrain and hindbrain of postnatal rats

Abstract

Nuclear steroid hormone receptors are powerful transcription factors and therefore have the potential to influence and regulate fundamental processes of neural development. The expression of progesterone receptors (PR) has been described in the developing forebrain of rats and mice, and the mammalian brain may be exposed to significant amounts of progesterone, either from maternal sources and/or de novo synthesis of progesterone from cholesterol within the brain. The present study examined the distribution of PR immunoreactive (PRir) cells within the midbrain and hindbrain of postnatal rats. The results demonstrate that PR is transiently expressed within the first 2 weeks of life in specific motor, sensory and reticular core nuclei as well as within midbrain dopaminergic cell groups such as the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. Additionally, robust PRir was observed in cells of the lower rhombic lip, a transient structure giving rise to precerebellar nuclei. These results suggest that progestins and progesterone receptors may play a fundamental role in the postnatal development of numerous midbrain and hindbrain nuclei, including some areas implicated in human disorders. Additionally, these findings contribute to the increasing evidence that steroid hormones and their receptors influence neural development in a wide range of brain areas, including many not typically associated with reproduction or neuroendocrine function.

Sexually Dimorphic Neurons in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Govern Mating in Both Sexes and Aggression in Males

“…In regions such as the basal ganglia with low level PR expression that precludes visualization by in situ hybridization, we can detect PR message by RT-qPCR (Figure S1A). The distribution of β-gal+ cells is in accord with histological and pharmacological studies (Becker, 1999; Blaustein and Feder, 1979; Olster and Blaustein, 1990; Quadros et al, 2008). In the case of the basal ganglia, our studies localize PR expression to sparsely distributed neurons across the rostrocaudal axis (Figure S1B–D).…”

“…PR is widely distributed in the brain, and the PR+ neurons that regulate sexual receptivity remain to be identified unambiguously (Blaustein and Feder, 1979; Olster and Blaustein, 1990; Quadros et al, 2008). The VMH, which contains a small pool of PR+ neurons in its ventrolateral division (VMHvl), is well characterized for its relevance to female mating in mammals (Blaustein, 2008; Cohen and Pfaff, 1992; Flanagan-Cato, 2011; Rubin and Barfield, 1983).…”

Neural distribution of the nuclear progesterone receptor in the túngara frog, Physalaemus pustulosus

“…The nodes of this network include the preoptic area, anterior hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus, medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminais (BST), periaqueductal grey/central grey, and the lateral septum. These regions contain steroid hormone receptors in every vertebrate class studied including reptiles (Young et al, 1994;O'Connell et al, 2011), teleosts (Hanna et al, 2010;Munchrath and Hofmann, 2010), birds (Askew et al, 1997;Gahr, 2001;Sterling et al, 1987), and mammals (Quadros et al, 2008;Lonstein and Blaustein, 2004;Kato et al, 1994). We have shown here that PR is expressed in each of these brain regions in P. pustulosus, providing neurochemical evidence in support of these amphibian homologies in the social behavior network, although further manipulative and behavioral studies are still necessary.…”

“…Regions that receive input from this dopaminergic node include the basolateral amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, striatum, BNST, and the lateral septum. Most of these brain nuclei contain the PR in reptiles (Young et al, 1994;O'Connell et al, 2011), teleosts (Hanna et al, 2010;Munchrath and Hofmann, 2010), birds (Askew et al, 1997;Gahr, 2001;Sterling et al, 1987), and mammals (Quadros et al, 2008;Lonstein and Blaustein, 2004;Kato et al, 1994). The putative amphibian homologies to these forebrain nuclei are more contentious than those of the social behavior network (Marín et al, 1998;Brox et al, 2004;Roth et al, 2007) and should still be considered tentative until more developmental, hodological, neurochemical, and lesion/stimulation studies are reported (for review see O'Connell and Hofmann, in press).…”

Progesterone Receptor Expression in the Developing Mesocortical Dopamine Pathway: Importance for Complex Cognitive Behavior in Adulthood

“…For both the VTA and mPFC ontogenies, tissue from 5 males and 5 females was collected for each age group. For both the VTA and mPFC ontogeny, the exact dates were chosen based on previous studies from our laboratory [9, 11]. …”