Androgen receptor deficiency is associated with reduced aromatase expression in the ventromedial hypothalamus of male cichlids.
Ann N Y Acad Sci
; 1532(1): 73-82, 2024 Feb.
Article
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| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38240562
ABSTRACT
Social behaviors are regulated by sex steroid hormones, such as androgens and estrogens. However, the specific molecular and neural processes modulated by steroid hormones to generate social behaviors remain to be elucidated. We investigated whether some actions of androgen signaling in the control of social behavior may occur through the regulation of estradiol synthesis in the highly social cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. Specifically, we examined the expression of cyp19a1, a brain-specific aromatase, in the brains of male A. burtoni lacking a functional ARα gene (ar1), which was recently found to be necessary for aggression in this species. We found that cyp19a1 expression is higher in wild-type males compared to ar1 mutant males in the anterior tuberal nucleus (ATn), the putative fish homolog of the mammalian ventromedial hypothalamus, a brain region that is critical for aggression across taxa. Using in situ hybridization chain reaction, we determined that cyp19a1+ cells coexpress ar1 throughout the brain, including in the ATn. We speculate that ARα may modulate cyp19a1 expression in the ATn to govern aggression in A. burtoni. These studies provide novel insights into the hormonal mechanisms of social behavior in teleosts and lay a foundation for future functional studies.
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1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Síndrome de Resistencia Androgénica
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Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ann N Y Acad Sci
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos