Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Saarland School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany.
Compr Physiol. 2015 Sep 20;5(4):1645-76. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c140079.
Research in neuroendocrinology faces particular challenges due to the complex interactions between cells in the hypothalamus, in the pituitary gland and in peripheral tissues. Within the hypothalamus alone, attempting to target a specific neuronal cell type can be problematic due to the heterogeneous nature and level of cellular diversity of hypothalamic nuclei. Because of the inherent complexity of the reproductive axis, the use of animal models and in vivo experiments are often a prerequisite in reproductive neuroendocrinology. The advent of targeted genetic modifications, particularly in mice, has opened new avenues of neuroendocrine research. Within this review, we evaluate various mouse models used in reproductive neuroendocrinology and discuss the different approaches to generate genetically modified mice, along with their inherent advantages and disadvantages. We also discuss a variety of versatile genetic tools with a focus on their potential use in reproductive neuroendocrinology.
神经内分泌学研究面临着特殊的挑战，因为下丘脑、垂体和外周组织中的细胞之间存在着复杂的相互作用。仅在下丘脑内部，由于下丘脑核的异质性和细胞多样性水平，试图针对特定的神经元细胞类型可能会出现问题。由于生殖轴的固有复杂性，动物模型和体内实验通常是生殖神经内分泌学的前提。靶向基因修饰的出现，特别是在小鼠中，为神经内分泌研究开辟了新的途径。在本综述中，我们评估了生殖神经内分泌学中使用的各种小鼠模型，并讨论了生成基因修饰小鼠的不同方法，以及它们各自的优缺点。我们还讨论了各种多功能遗传工具，重点是它们在生殖神经内分泌学中的潜在用途。
