7α-Hydroxypregnenolone Mediates Melatonin Action Underlying Diurnal Locomotor Rhythms

Tsutsui, Kazuyoshi; Inoue, Kentaro; Miyabara, Hitomi; Suzuki, Saori; Ogura, Yuki; Haraguchi, Shogo

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.3562-07.2008

Cited by 60 publications

(223 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Pioneering work has shown the synthesis of E2 from T in the songbird brain 44 . Subsequently, several neurosteroids as well as the enzymes necessary for their production from cholesterol have been found in quail brain 29,45 , and there is evidence for de novo synthesis of E2 from cholesterol in songbird brain 28,46 . High concentrations of brain E2 may have an organizational effect on the developing male chick brain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras

et al. 2013

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Sexual differentiation leads to structural and behavioural differences between males and females. Here we investigate the intrinsic sex identity of the brain by constructing chicken chimeras in which the brain primordium is switched between male and female identities before gonadal development. We find that the female chimeras with male brains display delayed sexual maturation and irregular oviposition cycles, although their behaviour, plasma concentrations of sex steroids and luteinizing hormone levels are normal. The male chimeras with female brains show phenotypes similar to typical cocks. In the perinatal period, oestrogen concentrations in the genetically male brain are higher than those in the genetically female brain. Our study demonstrates that male brain cells retain male sex identity and do not differentiate into female cells to drive the normal oestrous cycle, even when situated in the female hormonal milieu. This is clear evidence for a sex-specific feature that develops independent of gonadal steroids.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras

et al. 2013

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“…4A), plasma levels of testosterone and DHT remained unchanged from winter, suggesting that androgens do not regulate the switch from diurnal to nocturnal activity in Z. l. gambelii, as proposed for European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), dark-eyed juncos and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) (Owen et al, 2014;Subbaraj and Gwinner, 1985;Tonra et al, 2011). Identifying factors that regulate onset of migratory flight are enigmatic, but the neurosteroid 7α-hydroxypregnenolone may hold promise for its role in the diurnal locomotor activity in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) (Tsutsui et al, 2008(Tsutsui et al, , 2012. Earlier timing of androgen elevations in Z. l. nuttalli offers support for a genetic basis underlying a lower threshold to photoperiod for the onset of breeding in comparison with Z. l. gambelii (Blanchard, 1941;Mewaldt et al, 1968).…”

Section: Plasma Steroids In Relation To Behavior and Physiologymentioning

confidence: 94%

Behavioral and physiological traits of migrant and resident White-crowned Sparrows: a common garden approach

Ramenofsky

Campion

Krause

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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To accommodate a migratory life history, migrants express a greater number of physiological and behavioral stages per annum than residents and are thus considered to have higher finite state diversity (FSD). To investigate the physiological mechanisms and constraints associated with migration, direct comparison of two subspecies of white-crowned sparrow -migrant, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, and resident, Z. l. nuttalli -were made under common garden conditions of photoperiod and housing, as birds progressed from winter through the vernal life history stages. We tested the hypothesis that migrants (higher FSD) respond differently than residents (lower FSD) to the initial predictive cue, photoperiod, to initiate and integrate the progression of vernal stages of prenuptial molt, migration and development of breeding. If differences in vernal phenology were noted, then the basis for the distinctions was considered genetic. Results indicate that (1) residents had a lower threshold to vernal photoperiod with elevations of plasma androgen, growth and development of reproductive structures preceding those of migrants; (2) only migrants displayed prenuptial molt, preparations for migration and migratory restlessness; and (3) neither baseline nor stress-induced plasma corticosterone differed across subspecies, suggesting energetic demands of the common garden were insufficient to induce a differential adrenocortical response in either subspecies, highlighting the impact of environmental conditions on corticosterone secretion. Thus, in a common garden experiment, Z. l. gambelii responds differently to the initial predictive cue, photoperiod, to initiate and execute the vernal stages of molt, migration and development of breeding in comparison to the shared stage of breeding with Z. l. nuttalli, confirming a genetic basis for the subspecies differences.

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“…PREG synthesis in the pineal gland was further demonstrated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as described previously (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Heptafluorobutyrate derivatives of the authentic PREG and the metabolite of nonradioactive cholesterol were prepared and applied to GC-MS analysis.…”

Section: De Novo Pregnenolone Formation From Cholesterol In the Quailmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To demonstrate neurosteroid formation in the quail pineal gland, pineal gland homogenates of male chicks at P7 were incubated with tritiated PREG as a precursor, and radioactive metabolites were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC as described previously (18)(19)(20)(21). The radioactive metabolites corresponding to 7α-and/or 7β-hydroxypregnenolone (7α-and/or 7β-OH PREG; Fig.…”

Section: De Novo Pregnenolone Formation From Cholesterol In the Quailmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neurosteroid formation in the pineal gland was further confirmed by GC-SIM analysis as described previously (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Derivatives of the authentic 7α-and 7β-OH PREG, PROG, ALLO, EPI, AD, T, 5α-and 5β-DHT, E2, and the metabolites of nonradioactive steroids produced by the pineal gland were applied to GC-SIM analysis (m/z 386 for 7α-and 7β-OH PREG, m/z 510 for PROG, m/z 514 for ALLO and EPI, m/z 482 for AD, m/z 680 for T, m/z 486 for 5α-and 5β-DHT, and m/z 664 for E2).…”

Section: De Novo Pregnenolone Formation From Cholesterol In the Quailmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Possible role of pineal allopregnanolone in Purkinje cell survival

Haraguchi

Hara

Ubuka

et al. 2012

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

177

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It is believed that neurosteroids are produced in the brain and other nervous systems. Here, we show that allopregnanolone (ALLO), a neurosteroid, is exceedingly produced in the pineal gland compared with the brain and that pineal ALLO acts on the Purkinje cell, a principal cerebellar neuron, to prevent apoptosis in the juvenile quail. We first demonstrated that the pineal gland is a major organ of neurosteroidogenesis. A series of experiments using molecular and biochemical techniques has further demonstrated that the pineal gland produces a variety of neurosteroids de novo from cholesterol in the juvenile quail. Importantly, ALLO was far more actively produced in the pineal gland than in the brain. Pinealectomy (Px) decreased ALLO concentration in the cerebellum and induced apoptosis of Purkinje cells, whereas administration of ALLO to Px quail chicks prevented apoptosis of Purkinje cells. We further found that Px significantly increased the number of Purkinje cells that expressed active caspase-3, a key protease in apoptotic pathway, and daily injection of ALLO to Px quail chicks decreased the number of Purkinje cells expressing active caspase-3. These results indicate that the neuroprotective effect of pineal ALLO is associated with the decrease in caspase-3 activity during the early stage of neuronal development. We thus provide evidence that the pineal gland is an important neurosteroidogenic organ and that pineal ALLO may be involved in Purkinje cell survival during development. This is an important function of the pineal gland in the formation of neuronal circuits in the developing cerebellum.steroid | melatonin | HPLC | gas chromatography/mass spectrometry T he cerebellar cortex has been used as an excellent model to study synaptic formation and transmission of neural networks because it forms relatively simple neuronal networks compared with those of other brain regions. The Purkinje cell is a principal cerebellar neuron that integrates the process of memory and learning. It is known that in birds and mammals pinealectomy (Px) induces cell loss in the brain including Purkinje cells during development (1, 2). This observation suggests that a certain component(s) in the pineal gland contributes to Purkinje cell survival during development.It is now established that steroids can be synthesized de novo in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Such steroids are called "neurosteroids," and de novo neurosteroidogenesis from cholesterol is a conserved property of the vertebrate brain (for reviews, see refs. 3-7). The Purkinje cell is known as a site of neurosteroidogenesis in the brain (for review, see ref. 8). This cerebellar neuron produces progesterone (PROG) and estradiol-17β (E2) de novo from cholesterol during neonatal life, when cerebellar neuronal circuit formation occurs. Both PROG and E2 promote dendritic growth, spinogenesis, and synaptogenesis via each cognate nuclear receptor in the developing Purkinje cell (9-11). Allopregnanolone (ALLO; 3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone), a progesterone metabol...

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7α-Hydroxypregnenolone Mediates Melatonin Action Underlying Diurnal Locomotor Rhythms

Cited by 60 publications

References 54 publications

A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras

A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras

Behavioral and physiological traits of migrant and resident White-crowned Sparrows: a common garden approach

Possible role of pineal allopregnanolone in Purkinje cell survival

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