Distribution and Regulation of Estrogen-2-Hydroxylase in the Quail Brain

[en] The anatomical distribution and endocrine regulation of the estrogen-2-hydroxylase activity were investigated in the brain of adult male and female Japanese quail. Significant levels of enzymatic activity were detected in all brain regions that were studied, but the highest levels were observed in preoptic and hypothalamic brain nuclei that are known to contain high levels of aromatase activity. These data are consistent with previous results suggesting that the placental aromatase is also responsible for the estrogen-2-hydroxylase activity. However, there is a marked sex difference and a control by T of aromatase activity in the quail brain, and no such difference in 2-hydroxylase activity could generally be detected except in the VMN. Further studies will be needed to know whether the previously published conclusions concerning the human placenta also apply to the brain. The present data are consistent with the idea that estrogens formed locally in the brain by testosterone aromatization could affect reproduction by interfering with the catecholaminergic transmission after being metabolized into catechol-estrogens.

Disciplines :

Endocrinology, metabolism & nutrition
Neurosciences & behavior
Zoology

Author, co-author :

Balthazart, Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biologie de la différenciation sexuelle du cerveau

Stoop, R.

Foidart, Agnès ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Services généraux (Faculté de médecine) > Service administratif de la Faculté (Médecine)

Granneman, J. C.

Lambert, J. G.

Language :

English

Title :

Distribution and Regulation of Estrogen-2-Hydroxylase in the Quail Brain

Publication date :

1994

Journal title :

Brain Research Bulletin

ISSN :

0361-9230

eISSN :

1873-2747

Publisher :

Elsevier, Netherlands

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

339-45

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 18 November 2009

Statistics

Number of views

35 (0 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

0 (0 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

Bibliography

Adkins (1975) Hormonal basis of sexual differentiation in the Japanese quail. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 89:61-71.
Adkins (1978) Sex steroids and the differentiation of avian reproductive behavior. Am. Zool. 18:501-509.
Adkins, Adler (1972) Hormonal control of behavior in the Japanese quail. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 81:27-36.
Adkins-Regan (1983) Sex steroids and the differentiation and activation of avian reproductive behaviour. Hormones and behaviour in higher vertebrates , J. Balthazart, R. Gilles, Springer Verlag, Berlin; 219-228.
Balthazart (1989) Steroid metabolism and the activation of social behavior. Advances in comparative and environmental physiology , ed 2, J. Balthazart, Springer Verlag, Berlin; 3:105-159.
Balthazart (1991) Testosterone metabolism in the avian hypothalamus. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 40:557-570.
Balthazart, Foidart (1993) Brain aromatase and the control of male sexual behavior. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 44:521-540.
Balthazart, Foidart, Harada (1990) Immunocytochemical localization of aromatase in the brain. Brain Res. 514:327-333.
Balthazart, Foidart, Hendrick (1990) The induction by testosterone of aromatase activity in the preoptic area and activation of copulatory behavior. Physiol. Behav. 47:83-94.
Balthazart, Foidart, Surlemont, Harada (1991) Neuroanatomical specificity in the co-localization of aromatase and estrogen receptors. J. Neurobiol. 22:143-157.
Balthazart, Foidart, Surlemont, Harada (1991) Distribution of aromatase-immunoreactive cells in the mouse forebrain. Cell Tissue Res. 263:71-79.
Balthazart, Foidart, Surlemont, Harada, Naftolin (1992) Neuroanatomical specificity in the autoregulation of aromatase-immunoreactive neurons by androgens and estrogens: An immunocytochemical study. Brain Res. 574:280-290.
Balthazart, Foidart, Surlemont, Vockel, Harada (1990) Distribution of aromatase in the brain of the Japanese quail, ring dove, and zebra fich: An immunocytochemical study. J. Comp. Neurol. 301:276-288.
Balthazart, Gahr, Surlemont (1989) Distribution of estrogen receptors in the brain of the Japanese quail: An immunocytochemical study. Brain Res. 501:205-214.
Balthazart, Schumacher, Evrard (1990) Sex differences and steroid control of testosterone-metabolizing enzyme activity in the quail brain. J. Neuroendocrinol. 2:675-683.
Balthazart, Schumacher, Ottinger (1983) Sexual differences in the Japanese quail: Behavior, morphology and intracellular metabolism of testosterone. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 51:191-207.
Barbieri, Canick, Ryan (1978) Estrogen-2-hydroxylase activity in rat tissues. Steroids 32:529-538.
Baylé, Ramade, Oliver (1974) Stereotaxic topography of the brain of the quail. J. Physiol. (Paris) 68:219-241.
Bitran, Hull (1987) Pharmacological analysis of male rat sexual behavior. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 11:365-389.
Blackburn, Pfaus, Phillips (1992) Dopamine functions in appetitive and defensive behaviours. Prog. Neurobiol. 39:247-279.
Delville, Hendrick, Sulon, Balthazart (1984) Testosterone metabolism and testosterone-dependent characteristics in Japanese quail. Physiol. Behav. 33:817-823.
Fishman (1976) The catecholestrogens. Neuroendocrinology 22:363-374.
Fishman (1981) Biological action of catecholestrogens. J. Endocrinol. 89:59-65.
Fishman, Norton (1975) Catechol estrogen formation in the central nervous system of the rat. Endocrinology 96:1054-1059.
Fishman, Norton (1984) Enzymatic and nonenzymatic hydroxylations of estradiol in rat brain tissue. Metabolism of hormonal steroids in the neuroendocrine structures , F. Celotti, F. Naftolin, L. Martini, Raven Press, New York; 129-138.
Foidart, Absil, Harada, Balthazart (1993) Aromatase-immunoreactive cells are present in the mouse and rat brain areas that express high levels of aromatase activity. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 19:1399.
Foreman, Porter (1980) Effects of catechol estrogens and catecholamines on hypothalamic and corpus striatal tyrosine hydroxylase activity. J. Neurochem. 34:1175-1183.
Hersey, Williams, Weisz (1981) Catechol estrogen formation by brain tissue: Characterization of a direct product isolation assay for estrogen-2- and 4-hydroxylase and its application to studies of 2- and 4-hydroxyestradiol formation by rabbit hypothalamus. Endocrinology 109:1912-1920.
Hoffman, Paul, Axelrod (1980) Estrogen-2-hydroxylase in the rat. Distribution and response to hormonal manipulation. Biochem. Pharmacol. 29:83-87.
Hutchison (1978) Hormonal differentiation of sexual behavior in Japanese quail. Horm. Behav. 11:363-387.
Jakab, Horvath, Leranth, Harada, Naftolin (1993) Aromatase immunoreactivity in the rat brain: Gonadectomy-sensitive hypothalamic neurons and an unresponsive “limbic ring” of the lateral septum-bed nucleus-amygdala complex. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 44:481-498.
Kuenzel, Masson A stereotaxic atlas of the brain of the chick (Gallus domesticus), The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore; 1988.
Lambert, van Oordt (1982) Catecholestrogens in the brain of the female trout, Salmo gairdneri. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 46:41.
Lloyd, Weisz (1978) Direct inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase activity by catecholestrogens. J. Biol. Chem. 263:4841-4843.
MacLusky, Philip, Hurlburt, Naftolin (1984) Estrogen metabolism in neuroendocrine structures. Metabolism of hormonal steroids in the neuroendocrine structures , F. Celotti, F. Naftolin, L. Martini, Raven Press, New York; 103-116.
McEwen (1981) Neural gonadal steroid actions. Science 211:1303-1311.
Merriam, MacLusky, Pickard, Naftolin (1980) Comparative properties of catechol estrogens. I. Methylation by catechol-O-methyltransferase and binding to cytosol estrogen receptors. Steroids 31:1-11.
Naftolin, Leranth, Balthazart (1990) Ultrastructural localization of aromatase immunoreactivity in hypothalamic neurons. Endocr. Soc. Abstr. 669:192.
Naftolin, MacLusky (1984) Aromatization hypothesis revisited. Sexual differentiation: Basic and clinical aspects , M. Serio, M. Motta, M. Zanisi, L. Martini, Raven Press, New York; 79-91.
Naftolin, Ryan, Davies, Reddy, Flores, Petro, Kuhn, White, Takaoka, Wolin (1975) The formation of estrogens by central neuroendocrine tissues. Rec. Prog. Horm. Res. 31:295-319.
Naftolin, Ryan, Petro (1972) Aromatization of androstenedione by the anterior hypothalamus of adult male and female rats. Endocrinology 90:295-298.
Osawa, Higashiyama, Shimizu, Yarborough (1993) Multiple functions of aromatase and the active site structure; Aromatase is the placental estrogen 2-hydroxylase. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 44:469-480.
Palkovits (1973) Isolated removal of hypothalamic or other brain nuclei of the rat. Brain Res. 59:449-450.
Palkovits, Brownstein (1983) Microdissection of brain areas by the punch technique. Brain microdissection techniques , A.C. Cuello, Wiley, New York; 1-36.
Panzica, Viglietti-Panzica, Sanchez, Sante, Balthazart (1991) Effects of testosterone on a selected neuronal population within the preoptic sexually dimorphic nucleus of the Japanese quail. J. Comp. Neurol. 303:443-456.
Paul, Axelrod, Diliberto (1977) Catechol estrogen-forming enzyme in the brain: Demonstration of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase. Endocrinology 101:1604-1610.
Roselli, Resko (1984) Androgens regulate brain aromatase activity in adult male rats through a receptor mechanism. Endocrinology 114:2183-2189.
Sachs (1967) Photoperiodic control of the cloacal gland of the Japanese quail. Science 157:201-203.
Sachs, Meisel (1988) The physiology of male sexual behavior. The physiology of reproduction , E. Knobil, J. Neill, Raven Press, New York; 1393-1485.
Schlinger, Callard (1989) Localization of aromatase in synaptosomal and microsomal subfractions of quail (Cotumix coturnix japonica) brain. Neuroendocrinology 49:434-441.
Schumacher, Balthazart (1984) The postnatal demasculinization of sexual behavior in the Japanese quail. Horm. Behav. 18:298-312.
Schumacher, Balthazart (1986) Testosterone-induced brain aromatase is sexually dimorphic. Brain Res. 370:285-293.
Schumacher, Balthazart (1987) Neuroanatomical distribution of testosterone metabolizing enzymes in the Japanese quail. Brain Res. 422:137-148.
Steimer, Hutchison (1981) Androgen increases formation of behaviourally effective oestrogen in dove brain. Nature 292:345-347.
Theron, Russel, Taljaard (1983) Ontogeny of estradiol-2-hydroxylase activity in discrete brain areas of Wistar rats. J. Steroid Biochem. 21:483-485.
Timmers, Granneman, Lambert, van Oordt (1988) Estrogen-2-hydroxylase in the brain of the male african catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 72:190-203.
Timmers, Lambert (1988) Kinetic studies of the catecholo-methyltransferase from the brain of the african catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 91 C:399-402.
Timmers, Lambert (1989) Catechol-o-methyltransferase in the brain of the male african catfish, Clarias gariepinus; Distribution and significance for the metabolism of catecholestrogens and dopamine. Fish Physiol. Biochem. 7:201-210.
Timmers, Lambert, Peute, Vullings, van Oordt (1987) Localization of aromatase in the brain of the male african catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), by microdissection and biochemical identification. J. Comp. Neurol. 258:368-377.
Viglietti-Panzica, Panzica, Fiori, Calcagni, Anselmetti, Balthazart (1986) A sexually dimorphic nucleus in the quail preoptic area. Neurosci. Lett. 64:129-134.
Watson, Adkins-Regan (1989) Neuroanatomical localization of sex steroid-concentrating cells in the Japanese quil (Coturnix japonica): Autoradiography with [3H]-testosterone, [3H]-estradiol, and [3H]-dihydrotestosterone. Neuroendocrinology 49:51-64.