Autoradiographic binding studies with [3H]oestradiol and [3H]dihydrotestosterone in the autonomic genital ganglion (plexus of Frankenhäuser) of the mouse.

Male, female and Tfm mice (testicular feminization) were injected with [3H]oestradiol or [3H]dihydrotestosterone, and autoradiograms prepared of male accessory sex organs and of the cervico-vaginal portion of the female reproductive tract. After injection of [3H]oestradiol in male, female and Tfm animals a nuclear concentration of radioactivity was found in a subpopulation--about 20-30%--of the neurons of the genital ganglion. No such concentration was seen after [3H]dihydrotestosterone. The results suggest a direct genomic effect of oestradiol on certain neurons of the autonomic genital ganglion in both sexes.