Iwata T, Kawahara G, Yamamoto K, Zhou C J, Nakajo S, Shioda S, Kikuyama S
Department of Biology, School of Education, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8050, Japan.
Biol Reprod. 2000 Dec;63(6):1867-72. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod63.6.1867.
Silefrin is a sodefrin-like, female-attracting pheromone comprising 10 amino acids that was isolated from the abdominal gland of the sword-tailed newt, Cynops ensicauda. Hormonal effects on the silefrin precursor mRNA expression and silefrin content in the abdominal gland were investigated in the present study by using Northern blot analysis and radioimmunoassay, respectively. In the abdominal gland of newts treated with prolactin (PRL) plus testosterone propionate (TP), silefrin precursor mRNA expression was markedly enhanced as compared with that in the newts injected with saline, PRL, or TP. Values for radioimmunoassayable silefrin content in the abdominal gland paralleled those for the silefrin precursor mRNA levels. Moreover, silefrin precursor mRNA signals, as revealed by in situ hybridization, as well as stainability of immunoreactive silefrin were much more intense in the epithelial cells of the abdominal gland of the PRL-plus-TP-treated animals than in those of controls. We thus conclude that PRL and androgen are important factors for enhancing silefrin synthesis.
西勒弗林是一种类似索德弗林的吸引雌性的信息素，由10个氨基酸组成，是从剑尾蝾螈（Cynops ensicauda）的腹部腺体中分离出来的。在本研究中，分别使用Northern印迹分析和放射免疫测定法研究了激素对腹部腺体中西勒弗林前体mRNA表达和西勒弗林含量的影响。在用催乳素（PRL）加丙酸睾酮（TP）处理的蝾螈的腹部腺体中，与注射生理盐水、PRL或TP的蝾螈相比，西勒弗林前体mRNA表达明显增强。腹部腺体中可通过放射免疫测定的西勒弗林含量值与西勒弗林前体mRNA水平的值平行。此外，原位杂交显示，PRL加TP处理动物的腹部腺体上皮细胞中的西勒弗林前体mRNA信号以及免疫反应性西勒弗林的染色性比对照组的要强得多。因此，我们得出结论，PRL和雄激素是增强西勒弗林合成的重要因素。
