Liver at the nexus of rat postnatal HPA axis maturation and sexual dimorphism

Toews, Julia N C; Hammond, Geoffrey L.; Viau, Victor

doi:10.1530/joe-20-0286

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 140 publications

(181 reference statements)

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“…Studies conducted on laboratory rats indicate that neonatal sex steroid hormones have organizational effects on the development of neural pathways and the GHRH and SST hormones in the hypothalamus that control ultradian GH secretion ( Toews et al, 2021 ). Gonadal steroids continue to influence sex differences in GH secretory profiles during adulthood ( Painson et al, 1992 , 2000 ), which could explain the effects of T on MUPs (see above).…”

Section: Ontogeny: Organizational Effects From Gonadal Steroidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Major Urinary Proteins

2022

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Male house mice excrete large amounts of protein in their urinary scent marks, mainly composed of Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs), and these lipocalins function as pheromones and pheromone carriers. Here, we review studies on sexually dimorphic MUP expression in house mice, including the proximate mechanisms controlling MUP gene expression and their adaptive functions. Males excrete 2 to 8 times more urinary protein than females, though there is enormous variation in gene expression across loci in both sexes. MUP expression is dynamically regulated depending upon a variety of factors. Males regulate MUP expression according to social status, whereas females do not, and males regulate expression depending upon health and condition. Male-biased MUP expression is regulated by pituitary secretion of growth hormone (GH), which binds receptors in the liver, activating the JAK2-STAT5 signaling pathway, chromatin accessibility, and MUP gene transcription. Pulsatile male GH secretion is feminized by several factors, including caloric restriction, microbiota depletion, and aging, which helps explain condition-dependent MUP expression. If MUP production has sex-specific fitness optima, then this should generate sexual antagonism over allelic expression (intra-locus sexual conflict) selectively favoring sexually dimorphic expression. MUPs influence the sexual attractiveness of male urinary odor and increased urinary protein excretion is correlated with the reproductive success of males but not females. This finding could explain the selective maintenance of sexually dimorphic MUP expression. Producing MUPs entails energetic costs, but increased excretion may reduce the net energetic costs and predation risks from male scent marking as well as prolong the release of chemical signals. MUPs may also provide physiological benefits, including regulating metabolic rate and toxin removal, which may have sex-specific effects on survival. A phylogenetic analysis on the origins of male-biased MUP gene expression in Mus musculus suggests that this sexual dimorphism evolved by increasing male MUP expression rather than reducing female expression.

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Section: Ontogeny: Organizational Effects From Gonadal Steroidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Major Urinary Proteins

2022

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“…The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is critical for fish growth and sex-related actions ( Toews et al, 2021 ). The liver greatly affects ontogenesis by integrating diverse endocrine signals that regulate body growth and sexual maturity in fish.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The liver is a critical regulator of metabolic homeostasis because it integrates sex hormone signals triggered by alterations in metabolism and physiological state ( Toews et al, 2021 ). Sex hormones control the body’s growth by influencing the release of GH and its activity ( Ryu et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tissue-Specific Expression Pattern in Ancherythroculter nigrocauda, a Sexually Size Dimorphic Fish

et al. 2021

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Certain members of the Actinopterygii class are known to exhibit sexual dimorphism (SD) that results in major phenotypic differences between male and female fishes of a species. One of the most common differences between the two sexes is in body weight, a factor with a high economic value in aquaculture. In this study, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study the liver and brain transcriptomes of Ancherythroculter nigrocauda, a fish exhibiting SD. Females attain about fourfold body weight of males at sexual maturity. Sample clustering showed that both sexes were grouped well with their sex phenotypes. In addition, 2,395 and 457 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the liver and brain tissues, respectively. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses predicted the association of PPAR signaling, cytochrome P450, and steroid hormone biosynthesis to the differences in sexual size. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) were conducted, and the green module was identified to be significantly correlated with sexual size dimorphism (SSD). Altogether, these results improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying SSD in A. nigrocauda.

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“…A signaling cascade commencing in brain centers regulates the expression and release of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin to control the secretion pattern of growth hormone (GH) in the anterior pituitary gland [ 35 , 36 ]. The pulsatile pattern of GH secretion presents some sex differences in the amplitude and frequency of pulses [ 37 ]. In mice, the default pattern of GH secretion is feminine; it is somatostatin that masculinizes the hypothalamic–pituitary–liver axis pulses [ 38 ].…”

Section: Liver Sexual Dimorphism and Hepatic Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The level of expression of more than 1000 genes is different in females compared to males, and close to 90% of these liver genes appear to be dependent on the sexually dimorphic GH secretion in the pituitary gland [ 35 ]. Moreover, the sex-specific release of GH in the adult is dependent on testosterone exposure during neonatal life and is then brought about by the re-initiation of testosterone production in the testis at puberty [ 37 , 39 , 40 ]. It remains to be determined to what extent the maturation, organization, regulation, and sexual dimorphism of the oviparous vertebrate hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is identical to that of rodents, but the main features are conserved ( Figure 1 ).…”

Section: Liver Sexual Dimorphism and Hepatic Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of Estrogens in the Healthy and Diseased Oviparous Vertebrate Liver

et al. 2021

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The liver is a vital organ that sustains multiple functions beneficial for the whole organism. It is sexually dimorphic, presenting sex-biased gene expression with implications for the phenotypic differences between males and females. Estrogens are involved in this sex dimorphism and their actions in the liver of several reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and birds are discussed. The liver participates in reproduction by producing vitellogenins (yolk proteins) and eggshell proteins under the control of estrogens that act via two types of receptors active either mainly in the cell nucleus (ESR) or the cell membrane (GPER1). Estrogens also control hepatic lipid and lipoprotein metabolisms, with a triglyceride carrier role for VLDL from the liver to the ovaries during oogenesis. Moreover, the activation of the vitellogenin genes is used as a robust biomarker for exposure to xenoestrogens. In the context of liver diseases, high plasma estrogen levels are observed in fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in chicken implicating estrogens in the disease progression. Fishes are also used to investigate liver diseases, including models generated by mutation and transgenesis. In conclusion, studies on the roles of estrogens in the non-mammalian oviparous vertebrate liver have contributed enormously to unveil hormone-dependent physiological and physiopathological processes.

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Liver at the nexus of rat postnatal HPA axis maturation and sexual dimorphism

Cited by 14 publications

References 140 publications

Regulation of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Major Urinary Proteins

Regulation of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Major Urinary Proteins

Tissue-Specific Expression Pattern in Ancherythroculter nigrocauda, a Sexually Size Dimorphic Fish

Roles of Estrogens in the Healthy and Diseased Oviparous Vertebrate Liver

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