Gonadal-GABAergic interaction is an important factor involved in photoperiod-induced 2-[125I] iodomelatonin binding changes in the Japanese quail brain

Canonaco, Marcello; Tavolaro, Renata; Facciolo, Rosa Maria; Artero, C.; Franzoni, Maria Fosca

doi:10.1016/0361-9230(94)90014-0

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…First, suppressing male crowing by females may be an active inhibitory process within the ICo. GABA receptors (benzodiazepine binding sites) have been demonstrated in the quail's ICo [Canonaco et al, 1994] and the activation of these inhibitory networks could be reflected in Fos induction. Alternatively, the activation of ICo could be an indirect consequence of the POA stimulation.…”

Section: Fos Induction In the Brain Of Male Quail Following The Exprementioning

confidence: 99%

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ball

Balthazart

2001

Brain Behav Evol

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Courtship behaviors were interpreted by ethologists as being examples of ‘sign stimuli’ that would act as ‘releasers’ of stereotypic species-typical behaviors in conspecifics. A key component of the sign stimulus concept is that some form of stimulus filtering occurs that is responsible for the marked selective behavioral responsiveness. Studies of immediate early gene induction in the avian brain in response to conspecific stimuli associated with courtship and mating reveal that such gene induction is highly selective. In male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), studies of the immediate early gene c-fos or zenk have been conducted in birds engaging in both appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior. High induction of immediate early genes occurs in hypothalamic and limbic areas such as the medial preoptic nucleus, bed nucleus striae terminalis and parts of the archistriatum in birds who had copulated and/or who had expressed a learned social proximity response, reflecting appetitive sexual behavior. Immediate early gene expression was also increased in telencephalic areas such as the hyperstriatum ventrale that presumably plays a role in the integration of sensory cues related to female recognition. In European starlings, studies of zenk induction have been conducted in females who hear male-typical courtship song. Clayton and Mello had shown that zenk is induced in the auditory telencephalon of canaries and zebra finches at high levels specifically in response to conspecific song. Immediate early genes such as fos and zenk are also expressed in song control nuclei specifically in association with song production. In starlings it was found that song was effective in rapidly inducing zenk expression in the auditory telencephalon in males and in females in the breeding as well as in the non-breeding season. Thus, the expression is not greater in females who use song to choose mates or during the breeding season when females are choosing mates. However, there is evidence that high levels of induction in certain areas of the auditory telencephalon in females are greater in response to songs organized in longer bouts that females prefer. Though immediate early gene induction in the brain does not exactly mimic selective behavioral responses to sign stimuli it may represent one important way in which stimulus selectivity of the sort hypothesized previously by Tinbergen and Lorenz is coded. Engaging in species-typical behaviors is also associated with motor-driven immediate early gene expression.

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Section: Fos Induction In the Brain Of Male Quail Following The Exprementioning

confidence: 99%

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ball

Balthazart

2001

Brain Behav Evol

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“…A direct or indirect effect on Mel receptor density may be exerted by sexually dimorphic neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Actually, physiological doses of GABA increase the number of IMel-binding sites (calculated as Bmax) in the TeO, ROT, and POA of quail independently of the photoperiod or the hormonal influence (Canonaco et al, 1994b). A sexually dimorphic distribution of GABA containing neurons and sex differences in the physiological responses to GABA agonists has been reported in the vocal pathway of songbirds (Ghrisam and Arnold, 1994;Sakaguchi, 1996;Wang et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Sexual differences and effect of photoperiod on melatonin receptor in avian brain

Aste

Cozzi

Stankov

et al. 2001

Microscopy Res & Technique

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Several data suggest that melatonin may influence avian reproduction by acting at the level of the hypothalamic-hypophisial-gonadal axis, and/or on neural circuits controlling reproductive behaviours. The action of melatonin is exerted through specific receptors whose distribution and pharmacological properties have been extensively investigated. This review will focus on the distribution, sexual dimorphism, and dependence upon the photoperiod of melatonin binding sites in avian species with a special emphasis on Japanese quail. Melatonin receptors are widely distributed in avian brain. They are mostly present in the visual pathways of all the investigated species and in the song controlling nuclei of oscine birds. Sexual dimorphism of melatonin binding sites (higher density in males than in females) was detected in some telencephalic nuclei of songbirds, in the visual pathways, and in the preoptic area of quail. The last region plays a key role in the activation of male quail copulatory behaviour and it hosts a large population of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-containing neurons. Sexual dimorphism of melatonin-binding sites in the above-mentioned regions suggests a differential role for this hormone in the modulation of visual perception, gonadotropin production, and seasonally activated behaviours in male and female quail. Further studies are necessary to understand interrelationships among photic cues, gonadal steroids, density, and sexually dimorphic distribution of melatonin receptors.

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“…The only other reported instances of sexual dimorphism in IMEL binding are in the song control system of birds and parts of the visual system and preoptic area in quail, which all displayed higher binding in males [Gahr and Kosar, 1996; Whitfield-Rucker and Cassone, 1996; Aste et al, 2001]. The reasons for these differences are unclear, but could potentially be the result of sexually dimorphic neurotransmitters, specifically GABA, which, when given at physiological doses, increases IMEL binding in several brain regions of the quail, including the preoptic area [Canonaco et al, 1994]. In addition, sexually dimorphic GABA-like immunoreactivity was found in the song control system of zebra finches [Grisham and Arnold, 1994].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of 2-[<sup>125</sup>I]iodomelatonin Binding in the Brain of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats <i>(Tadarida brasiliensis)</i>

et al. 2009

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The neurohormone melatonin is an important signal for both time of day and time of year in many seasonally breeding animals. High densities of melatonin receptors have been found in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, median eminence, and the pituitary gland in almost all mammals investigated so far, and lower densities of melatonin receptors have also been localized to other brain regions varying in a species-specific fashion. Because species-specific differences in receptor distributions have been correlated with differences in behavior and ecology, a comparative study of how melatonin receptors are distributed in vertebrate brains can be useful to the understanding of the functional organization of neural circuits controlling daily and seasonal behaviors. In this study, we localized and characterized melatonin binding sites in the brain of the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) using in vitro autoradiography with 2-[ 125 I]iodomelatonin. Tadarida brasiliensis is a nocturnal insectivorous mammal that seasonally migrates, reproduces once a year, and exhibits documented sexual dimorphisms in seasonal reproductive behaviors, most notably in courtship vocalizations. Prominent 2-[ 125 I]iodomelatonin binding was found in the median eminence, suprachiasmatic nuclei, and hippocampus, similar to that observed in other mammals. High densities of binding were also localized to structures of the basal ganglia, including the caudate nucleus, putamen, and nucleus accumbens, a feature commonly observed in songbirds but not in mammals. Saturation analysis indicated that the observed binding sites had an affinity for melatonin typical of the binding properties for the Mel 1a receptor subtype. We conclude that melatonin receptor distributions in the Mexican free-tailed bat brain appear to show similarities with the reproductive and circadian systems of other mammals and the basal ganglia of songbirds.

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Gonadal-GABAergic interaction is an important factor involved in photoperiod-induced 2-[125I] iodomelatonin binding changes in the Japanese quail brain

Cited by 5 publications

References 47 publications

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Sexual differences and effect of photoperiod on melatonin receptor in avian brain

Distribution of 2-[<sup>125</sup>I]iodomelatonin Binding in the Brain of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats <i>(Tadarida brasiliensis)</i>

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