Auger A P, Blaustein J D
Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003-7710, USA.
Brain Res. 1997 Jan 23;746(1-2):164-70. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(96)01190-0.
In female rats, the sequential release of estradiol and progesterone from the ovaries is required for the expression of sexual behavior during the estrous cycle. Many of the neuronal effects of estradiol and progesterone involve estrogen and progestin receptors. Treatment with a behaviorally-effective dose of estradiol increases Fos expression, suggestive of neuronal response, and subsequent treatment with a behaviorally-effective dose of progesterone further increases Fos expression within a few hours in female rat brain. In order to determine if neurons that respond to progesterone with increase Fos expression also contain progestin receptors, we used a double-label immunofluorescent technique to label both progestin receptors and Fos protein following progesterone or vehicle treatment of estradiol-primed female rats. As shown previously, progesterone treatment increased Fos expression in progestin receptor-containing regions, such as the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and the medial preoptic area. In addition, progesterone treatment induced a statistically-significant increase in Fos-immunoreactivity within progestin receptor-containing cells in the medial preoptic area and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, but not in the arcuate nucleus. Therefore, many but not all of the neurons that respond to progesterone with increased Fos expression also contain progestin receptor-immunoreactivity. The progesterone-induced Fos expression within progestin receptor-containing neurons may or may not be associated with the effects of progesterone on sexual or other reproductive behaviors, as it remains to be tested. However, the Fos expression provides a useful marker to aid in identification of neurons that respond to a behaviorally-relevant dose of progesterone.
在雌性大鼠中，发情周期中性行为的表现需要卵巢依次释放雌二醇和孕酮。雌二醇和孕酮的许多神经元效应涉及雌激素和孕激素受体。用行为有效剂量的雌二醇处理会增加Fos表达，提示神经元反应，随后用行为有效剂量的孕酮处理会在数小时内使雌性大鼠大脑中的Fos表达进一步增加。为了确定对孕酮有反应且Fos表达增加的神经元是否也含有孕激素受体，我们使用双标记免疫荧光技术在对经雌二醇预处理的雌性大鼠进行孕酮或溶剂处理后，标记孕激素受体和Fos蛋白。如先前所示，孕酮处理增加了含孕激素受体区域（如下丘脑腹内侧核和内侧视前区）的Fos表达。此外，孕酮处理使内侧视前区和下丘脑腹内侧核中含孕激素受体的细胞内Fos免疫反应性有统计学意义的增加，但在弓状核中未增加。因此，许多但并非所有对孕酮有反应且Fos表达增加的神经元也含有孕激素受体免疫反应性。含孕激素受体的神经元中孕酮诱导的Fos表达可能与也可能不与孕酮对性行为或其他生殖行为的影响相关，因为这仍有待测试。然而，Fos表达提供了一个有用的标记，有助于识别对行为相关剂量孕酮有反应的神经元。
