TY - JOUR
T1 - A developmental increase in the expression of messenger ribonucleic acid encoding a second form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the rhesus macaque hypothalamus
AU - Latimer, Valerie S.
AU - Kohama, Steven G.
AU - Garyfallou, Vasilios T.
AU - Urbanski, Henryk F.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - GnRH-I is thought to represent the primary neuroendocrine link between the brain and the reproductive axis. Recently, however, a second molecular form of this decapeptide (GnRH-II) was found to be highly expressed in the brains of humans and nonhuman primates. In this study, in situ hybridization was used to examine the regional expression of GnRH-II messenger ribonucleic acid in the hypothalamus of immature (0.6 yr) and adult (10-15 yr) male and female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Overall, no sex-related differences were observed. In all of the animals (n = 3 animals/group), intense hybridization of a monkey GnRH-II riboprobe was evident in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus and to a lesser extent in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but no age- or sex-related differences were apparent. Intense hybridization of the riboprobe also occurred in the mediobasal hypothalamus, and this was markedly greater in the adults than in the immature animals. These data show that the expression of GnRH-II messenger ribonucleic acid increases developmentally in a key neuroendocrine center of the brain. Moreover, because GnRH-II can stimulate LH release in vivo, it is plausible that changes in its gene expression represent an important component of the mechanism by which the hypothalamus controls reproductive function.
AB - GnRH-I is thought to represent the primary neuroendocrine link between the brain and the reproductive axis. Recently, however, a second molecular form of this decapeptide (GnRH-II) was found to be highly expressed in the brains of humans and nonhuman primates. In this study, in situ hybridization was used to examine the regional expression of GnRH-II messenger ribonucleic acid in the hypothalamus of immature (0.6 yr) and adult (10-15 yr) male and female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Overall, no sex-related differences were observed. In all of the animals (n = 3 animals/group), intense hybridization of a monkey GnRH-II riboprobe was evident in the paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus and to a lesser extent in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but no age- or sex-related differences were apparent. Intense hybridization of the riboprobe also occurred in the mediobasal hypothalamus, and this was markedly greater in the adults than in the immature animals. These data show that the expression of GnRH-II messenger ribonucleic acid increases developmentally in a key neuroendocrine center of the brain. Moreover, because GnRH-II can stimulate LH release in vivo, it is plausible that changes in its gene expression represent an important component of the mechanism by which the hypothalamus controls reproductive function.
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.86.1.324
DO - 10.1210/jc.86.1.324
M3 - Article
C2 - 11232019
AN - SCOPUS:0035146017
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 86
SP - 324
EP - 329
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 1
ER -