University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Horm Metab Res. 2012 Jul;44(8):577-86. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1312593. Epub 2012 Jun 14.
Hormones influence countless biological processes across an animal's lifespan. Many hormone-mediated events occur within developmental sensitive periods, during which hormones have the potential to cause permanent tissue-specific alterations in anatomy and physiology. There are numerous selective critical periods in development with different targets being affected during different periods. This review outlines the proceedings of the Hormonal Programming in Development session at the US-South American Workshop in Neuroendocrinology in August 2011. Here we discuss how gonadal steroid hormones impact various biological processes within the brain and gonads during early development and describe the changes that take place in the aging female ovary. At the cellular level, hormonal targets in the brain include neurons, glia, or vasculature. On a genomic/epigenomic level, transcription factor signaling and epigenetic changes alter the expression of critical hormone receptor genes across development and following ischemic brain insult. In addition, organizational hormone exposure alters epigenetic processes in specific brain nuclei and may be an important mediator of sexual differentiation of the neonatal brain. Brain targets of hormonal programming, such as the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, may be critical in influencing the development of peripheral targets, such as the ovary. Exposure to excess hormones can cause abnormalities in the ovary during development leading to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Exposure to excess androgens during fetal development also has a profound effect on the development of the male reproductive system. In addition, increased activity of the sympathetic nerve and stress during early life have been linked to PCOS symptomology in adulthood. Finally, we describe how age-related decreases in fertility are linked to high levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), which enhances sympathetic nerve activity and alters ovarian function.
激素在动物的整个生命周期中影响着无数的生物过程。许多激素介导的事件发生在发育敏感时期，在此期间，激素有可能导致组织特定的解剖和生理学永久性改变。在发育过程中有许多选择性的关键时期，不同的时期会影响不同的目标。这篇综述概述了 2011 年 8 月在美国-南美神经内分泌学研讨会上的激素编程发展分会的会议记录。在这里，我们讨论了性腺类固醇激素如何在早期发育过程中影响大脑和性腺中的各种生物学过程，并描述了衰老女性卵巢中发生的变化。在细胞水平上，大脑中的激素靶标包括神经元、神经胶质或脉管系统。在基因组/表观遗传水平上，转录因子信号和表观遗传变化改变了关键激素受体基因在发育过程中的表达，并在缺血性脑损伤后发生变化。此外，组织激素暴露改变了特定脑核中的表观遗传过程，可能是新生儿大脑性别分化的重要介导者。激素编程的大脑靶标，如下丘脑室旁核，可能在影响外周靶标（如卵巢）的发育中起着关键作用。在发育过程中暴露于过量的激素会导致卵巢异常，从而导致多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）。胎儿发育过程中暴露于过量的雄激素也会对男性生殖系统的发育产生深远影响。此外，生命早期交感神经的活性增加和应激与成年期 PCOS 的症状学有关。最后，我们描述了与生育能力相关的年龄相关性下降如何与高水平的神经生长因子（NGF）相关联，NGF 增强了交感神经活性并改变了卵巢功能。
