Expression and distribution of cortical type aromatase mRNA variant in the adult rat brain

Yamada-Mouri, Naoko; Hirata, Shuji; Kato, Junzo; Hoshi, Kazuhiko

doi:10.1016/s0960-0760(96)00222-1

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…It is also possible that aromatase (or EGFP) protein is expressed in these regions but at a level that is below detection by our immunohistochemical approach. Note that a truncated form of aromatase has previously been detected in the rat cerebral cortex [45], [46], where little or no aromatase activity has been reported [19]. The location of the EGFP promoter used in this study would prevent the identification of this truncated form of aromatase, which has not been identified in human or mouse.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Characterization of Aromatase Expression in the Adult Male and Female Mouse Brain. I. Coexistence with Oestrogen Receptors α and β, and Androgen Receptors

et al. 2014

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Aromatase catalyses the last step of oestrogen synthesis. There is growing evidence that local oestrogens influence many brain regions to modulate brain development and behaviour. We examined, by immunohistochemistry, the expression of aromatase in the adult male and female mouse brain, using mice in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) is transcribed following the physiological activation of the Cyp19A1 gene. EGFP-immunoreactive processes were distributed in many brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, olfactory tubercle, medial amygdaloid nucleus and medial preoptic area, with the densest distributions of EGFP-positive cell bodies in the bed nucleus and medial amygdala. Differences between male and female mice were apparent, with the density of EGFP-positive cell bodies and fibres being lower in some brain regions of female mice, including the bed nucleus and medial amygdala. EGFP-positive cell bodies in the bed nucleus, lateral septum, medial amygdala and hypothalamus co-expressed oestrogen receptor (ER) α and β, or the androgen receptor (AR), although single-labelled EGFP-positive cells were also identified. Additionally, single-labelled ERα−, ERβ- or AR-positive cell bodies often appeared to be surrounded by EGFP-immunoreactive nerve fibres/terminals. The widespread distribution of EGFP-positive cell bodies and fibres suggests that aromatase signalling is common in the mouse brain, and that locally synthesised brain oestrogens could mediate biological effects by activating pre- and post-synaptic oestrogen α and β receptors, and androgen receptors. The higher number of EGFP-positive cells in male mice may indicate that the autocrine and paracrine effects of oestrogens are more prominent in males than females.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Characterization of Aromatase Expression in the Adult Male and Female Mouse Brain. I. Coexistence with Oestrogen Receptors α and β, and Androgen Receptors

et al. 2014

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“…Among the brain regions that were examined, expression of long-form aromatase exhibited regional differences that correlated with aromatase activity, whereas short-form did not. These initial observations were confirmed using an RNA probe that targeted the long form of aromatase specifically [10], [20]. The presence of two forms of aromatase may explain mismatch in the distribution of aromatase protein in the brain detected by immunohistochemistry [21]–[23] and aromatase activity measured by enzyme assays [5], [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Quantitative Analysis of Long-Form Aromatase mRNA in the Male and Female Rat Brain

2014

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In vitro studies show that estrogens acutely modulate synaptic function in both sexes. These acute effects may be mediated in vivo by estrogens synthesized within the brain, which could fluctuate more rapidly than circulating estrogens. For this to be the case, brain regions that respond acutely to estrogens should be capable of synthesizing them. To investigate this question, we used quantitative real-time PCR to measure expression of mRNA for the estrogen-synthesizing enzyme, aromatase, in different brain regions of male and female rats. Importantly, because brain aromatase exists in two forms, a long form with aromatase activity and a short form with unknown function, we targeted a sequence found exclusively in long-form aromatase. With this approach, we found highest expression of aromatase mRNA in the amygdala followed closely by the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and preoptic area (POA); we found moderate levels of aromatase mRNA in the dorsal hippocampus and cingulate cortex; and aromatase mRNA was detectable in brainstem and cerebellum, but levels were very low. In the amygdala, gonadal/hormonal status regulated aromatase expression in both sexes; in the BNST and POA, castration of males down-regulated aromatase, whereas there was no effect of estradiol in ovariectomized females. In the dorsal hippocampus and cingulate cortex, there were no differences in aromatase levels between males and females or effects of gonadal/hormonal status. These findings demonstrate that long-form aromatase is expressed in brain regions that respond acutely to estrogens, such as the dorsal hippocampus, and that gonadal/hormonal regulation of aromatase differs among different brain regions.

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“…In cattle and sheep, seven and six transcript variants with corresponding promoter regions have been described so far [7][8][9][10]. Several splice variants and different active Cyp19 promoters have also been discovered in mouse and rat [11][12][13][14][15][16]. One of these promoters is very likely responsible for brain derived Cyp19 expression in human [17] and in several other mammalian species [16,9,10,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

0.2kb promoter sequence of the murine Cyp19 gene target β-galactosidase expression to specific brain areas of transgenic mice

Nausch

Manteuffel²,

Vanselow³

2007

The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Expression and distribution of cortical type aromatase mRNA variant in the adult rat brain

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Characterization of Aromatase Expression in the Adult Male and Female Mouse Brain. I. Coexistence with Oestrogen Receptors α and β, and Androgen Receptors

Characterization of Aromatase Expression in the Adult Male and Female Mouse Brain. I. Coexistence with Oestrogen Receptors α and β, and Androgen Receptors

Quantitative Analysis of Long-Form Aromatase mRNA in the Male and Female Rat Brain

0.2kb promoter sequence of the murine Cyp19 gene target β-galactosidase expression to specific brain areas of transgenic mice

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