Spatiotemporal dynamics of the expression of estrogen receptors in the postnatal mouse brain.

This study reports on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) in the mouse central nervous system (CNS) during the early postnatal and the peripubertal period. At postnatal day 7 (P7), neurons with strong nuclear immunostaining for both ERalpha and ERbeta1 were widely distributed throughout the brain. Sucrose density gradient sedimentation followed by western blotting supported the histochemical evidence for high levels of both ERs at P7. Over the following 2 days, there was a rapid downregulation of ERs. At P9, ERalpha expression was visible only in the hypothalamic area. Decline in ERbeta1 expression was slower than that of ERalpha, and ERalpha-negative, ERbeta1-positive cells were observed in the dentate gyrus and walls of third ventricle. Between P14 and P35, ERs were undetectable except for the hypothalamic area. As before P7, the ovary does not produce estrogen but does produce 5alpha-androstane-3beta, 17beta-diol (3betaAdiol), an estrogenic metabolite of dihydrotestosterone, we examined the effects of high levels of 3betaAdiol in the postnatal period. We used CYP7B1 knockout mice which cannot hydroxylate and inactivate 3betaAdiol. The brains of these mice are abnormally large with reduced apoptosis. In the early postnatal period, there was 1-week delay in the timing of the reduction in ER expression in the brain. These data reveal that the time when ERs might be activated in the brain is limited to the first 8 postnatal days. In addition, the importance of aromatase has to be reconsidered as the alternative estrogen, 3betaAdiol, is important in neuronal function in the postnatal brain.

Characterisation and expression of monosaccharide transporters in lupins, Lupinus polyphyllus and L. albus.

Monosaccharide transporter (MST) genes of Lupinus polyphyllus and L. albus were cloned, expressed and characterised. The isolation and functional characterisation of a cDNA clone and its corresponding genomic clone of a sugar transporter from L. polyphyllus (LpSTP1) is reported. Phylogenetic comparison of the nucleic and amino acid sequences showed the highest similarity to the AtSTP1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a high affinity sugar transporter. The similar topology as well as the substrate specificity and expression pattern of LpSTP1 encoded protein additionally support the high similarity to the AtSTP1 gene product. The 1,590 bp LpSTP1 cDNA clone was heterologously expressed in yeast resulting in a fully functional specific sugar transporter. This transformation restored the viability of a yeast deletion mutant, which is devoid of all intrinsic MSTs and thus unable to take up and grow on hexose-containing media. The LpSTP1 protein is postulated to be a high-affinity MST since it supported growth best on media containing 0.2% hexose. Tissue-specific expression of LaSTP1 in L. albus was assayed by real-time PCR, which revealed that the lupin STP1 is mainly expressed in flower buds, flowers and young leaves. The results suggest that the main role of LaSTP1 is to catalyse monosaccharide import in sink tissues to meet increased carbohydrate demand during plant development.