Vito C C, Fox T O
Science. 1979 May 4;204(4392):517-9. doi: 10.1126/science.432656.
Estradiol-binding proteins with the properties of putative estrogen receptors are present in cytosol extracts of embryonic mouse hypothalamus and other brain regions. These embryonic estrogen receptors are adultlike in their high affinity and limited capacity for estradiol, sensitivity to diethylstilbestrol, ability to adhere to DNA, and behavior during DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography. As early as 4 days before birth, mouse hypothalamus has approximately 40 percent of the adult concentration of hypothalamic estrogen receptors with these properties. These observations raise the possibility that embryonic rodent brain has the biochemical potential to respond to sex hormones and that the critical period of brain sexual differentiation could be initiated prenatally.
具有假定雌激素受体特性的雌二醇结合蛋白存在于胚胎小鼠下丘脑和其他脑区的胞质溶胶提取物中。这些胚胎雌激素受体在对雌二醇的高亲和力、有限容量、对己烯雌酚的敏感性、与DNA的粘附能力以及在DNA - 纤维素亲和层析过程中的行为方面与成年受体相似。早在出生前4天，小鼠下丘脑就拥有约40%具有这些特性的成年下丘脑雌激素受体浓度。这些观察结果增加了一种可能性，即胚胎啮齿动物大脑具有对性激素作出反应的生化潜力，并且脑性分化的关键时期可能在产前就已开始。
