Estrogen receptor‐β in oxytocin and vasopressin neurons of the rat and human hypothalamus: Immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization studies
Abstract
Topographical distribution of estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta)-synthesizing oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) neurons was studied in the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei (PVH; SO) of ovariectomized rats. In distinct subregions, 45-98% of OT neurons and 88-99% of VP neurons exhibited ER-beta immunoreactivity that was confined to cell nuclei. Neuronal populations differed markedly with respect to the intensity of the ER-beta signal. Magnocellular OT neurons in the PVH, SO, and accessory cell groups typically contained low levels of the ER-beta signal; in contrast, robust receptor labeling was displayed by OT cells in the ventral subdivision of medial parvicellular subnucleus and in the caudal PVH (dorsal subdivision of medial parvicellular subnucleus and lateral parvicellular subnucleus). Estrogen receptor-beta signal was generally more intense and present in higher proportions of magnocellular and parvicellular VP vs. OT neurons of similar topography. Immunocytochemical observations were confirmed via triple-label in situ hybridization, an approach combining use of digoxigenin-, fluorescein-, and 35S-labeled cRNA hybridization probes. Further, ER-beta mRNA was also detectable in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the parvicellular PVH. Finally, double-label immunocytochemical analysis of human autopsy samples showed that subsets of OT and VP neurons also express ER-beta in the human. These neuroanatomical studies provide detailed information about th…
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Estrogen receptors are expressed in different proportions in CRH, AVP, and OT neurons populating the PVN.
“PVN neuropeptide neurons are the drivers of the HPA axis, yet, estrogen receptors are expressed in different proportions in CRH, AVP, and OT neurons populating the PVN (Hrabovszky et al., 2004; Laflamme, Nappi, Drolet, Labrie, & Rivest, 1998; Suzuki & Handa, 2004).”
From Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity (2017) · cites this paper as Hrabovszky et al., 2004
85% of OT neurons in the PVN express ERβ in the rat and in mice.
“However, 85% of OT neurons in the PVN also express ERβ in the rat (Hrabovszky et al., 2004; Suzuki & Handa, 2004) and in mice (Oyola, Thomson, Handa, & Handa, 2017).”
From Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity (2017) · cites this paper as Hrabovszky et al., 2004
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Oyola, M. G., & Handa, R. J. (2017) · Stress · doi:10.1080/10253890.2017.1369523 · Cited by 710 · see citing works
“PVN neuropeptide neurons are the drivers of the HPA axis, yet, estrogen receptors are expressed in different proportions in CRH, AVP, and OT neurons populating the PVN (Hrabovszky et al., 2004; Laflamme, Nappi, Drolet, Labrie, & Rivest, 1998; Suzuki & Handa, 2004).”
BackgroundGonadal steroid hormones and the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis
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Self-citationEstradiol Down-Regulates RF-Amide-Related Peptide (RFRP) Expression in the Mouse Hypothalamus
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Oxytocin, vasopressin and their interplay with gonadal steroids
Dhakar, M. B., Stevenson, E. L., & Caldwell, H. K. (2013) · Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139017855.003 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
- Authors
- Hrabovszky, E., Kalló, I., Steinhauser, A., Merchenthaler, I., Coen, C. W., Petersen, S. L., & Liposits, Z.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- King's College London (GB)
- HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine (HU)
- Corresponding author
- Liposits, Zsolt
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2004-04-22
- Volume
- 473
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 315-333
- ISSN
- 0021-9967 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-9861
- OpenAlex
- W2085626212
- Cited by
- 118
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 13.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Comparative Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation of Hungary (OTKA T031770, T043407)
- Hungarian Medical Research Council (ETT 280/2000)
- Fifth EC Framework Program (QLG3 2000-00844)
- National Institutes of Health (HD27305)
- the Wellcome Trust (060202/Z/00/Z)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- estrogen receptor beta, oxytocin neurons, vasopressin neurons, hypothalamus, paraventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, magnocellular neurons, parvicellular neurons, corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons, estrogen response, human hypothalamus, ovariectomized rats
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Animals, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Female, Humans, Hypothalamus, Immunohistochemistry, Male, Microscopy, Electron, Neurons, Oxytocin, Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus, Postmortem Changes, Receptors, Estrogen, RNA, Messenger, Vasopressins, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, In Situ Hybridization, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Estrogen Receptor beta, Rats
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