Gene expression in hypothalamic neurons: luteinizing hormone releasing hormone.

In situ hybridization allows the detection and measurement of specific messenger RNAs in individual hypothalamic neurons, and has shown, among magnocellular neurons, not only which cells express the genes for oxytocin and vasopressin but also how they change with physiological stimulation. With this technique, neurons expressing a gene for luteinizing hormone releasing hormone-like messenger RNA have been discovered in the preoptic area and diagonal bands of the rat forebrain. Seven days of estrogen treatment of ovariectomized female rats increases the LHRH-like messenger RNA in this neuronal system.