Schumacher M, Coirini H, Frankfurt M, McEwen B S
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Sep;86(17):6798-801. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.17.6798.
Two ovarian hormones, estradiol and progesterone, which facilitate mating behavior in the female rat by acting on the ventromedial nuclei (VMN) of the hypothalamus, induce changes in oxytocin receptor binding in this brain region. Estradiol induced a 4-fold increase in the oxytocin receptor binding of the VMN and surrounding area and increased the number and immunostaining of oxytocin fibers in an area lateral to the ventral VMN. Progesterone, in estrogen-primed rats, caused the induced oxytocin receptors to spread over the area containing the oxytocin fibers. Infusion of oxytocin into the ventromedial hypothalamus increased the display of lordosis behavior only in females primed with both estradiol benzoate and progesterone. Thus, the sequential actions of two ovarian hormones bring a neuropeptide and its receptors into register and enable the neuropeptide to exert behavioral effects.
两种卵巢激素，雌二醇和孕酮，通过作用于下丘脑腹内侧核（VMN）促进雌性大鼠的交配行为，它们会引起该脑区催产素受体结合的变化。雌二醇使VMN及其周围区域的催产素受体结合增加了4倍，并增加了腹侧VMN外侧区域催产素纤维的数量和免疫染色。在经雌激素预处理的大鼠中，孕酮使诱导产生的催产素受体扩散到含有催产素纤维的区域。仅向经苯甲酸雌二醇和孕酮预处理的雌性大鼠的腹内侧下丘脑注入催产素，才会增加脊柱前凸行为的表现。因此，两种卵巢激素的相继作用使一种神经肽及其受体相互匹配，从而使神经肽能够发挥行为效应。
