Co-localization and distribution of corticotrophin-releasing hormone, arginine vasopressin and enkephalin in the paraventricular nucleus of sheep: A sex comparison
Section snippets
Animals and tissue collection
Adult male and female Corriedale sheep were used. Experiment 1 (co-localization of neuropeptides) used both gonadectomized and intact male and female sheep (n=4/group). Experiment 2 (distribution of neuropeptides) used intact male and female sheep (n=2/group). The animals had been gonadectomized at least 2 weeks prior to tissue collection and kept under normal conditions at the Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research experimental facility (Clayton, Victoria, Australia; 38° latitude). All
Experiment 1 (co-localization of neuropeptides)
The standard error of the mean (±S.E.M.) number of cells staining for CRH, AVP and ENK in intact and gonadectomized rams and ewes in the PVN is represented in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 1 presents data for single labeling. Fig. 2 (double labeling) represents the mean number of cells staining for CRH/AVP, AVP/ENK and CRH/ENK in intact and gonadectomized rams and ewes. All data presented in Fig. 2 are untransformed. Nevertheless, the data in Fig. 2c were log transformed for statistical analysis
Discussion
We have found differences in the distribution of cells that produce CRH, AVP and ENK and differences in the co-localization of these peptides within the PVN of male and female sheep. In some instances, the presence or absence of the gonads influenced the co-localization of these neuropeptides. We observed sex differences in the distribution of CRH and ENK cells and in the co-localization of AVP/ENK and CRH/ENK. Although there are some reports on the distribution and co-localization of these
Acknowledgments
We thank Bruce Doughton, Karen Briscoe, Lynda Morris, Alda Perreira, Sueli Pompolo, Chris Scott and Michelle Ibbot for technical assistance. We would like to thank Prof. W. Vale for his generous gift of the CRH antibody and Prof. H. Gainer who kindly donated both the monoclonal and polyclonal AVP antibodies. This research was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and Monash University.
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2020, Vitamins and HormonesCitation Excerpt :The mechanisms of sex-dependent responsiveness of the avian HPA axis to stressors are poorly understood. Possible explanations could be the presence of sex differences in AVT- and CRH-expressing neurons (Iwasaki-Sekino, Mano-Otagiri, Ohata, Yamauchi, & Shibasaki, 2009; Jurkevich, Barth, & Grossmann, 1997; Rivalland, Iqbal, Clarke, Turner, & Tilbrook, 2005) and/or distribution of AVT, CRH and glucocorticoid receptors (Dumais & Veenema, 2016; Koch, Wingfield, & Buntin, 2002; Lim, Nair, & Young, 2005). Overall, at the level of the brain, CRH is a more potent stimulator of the HPA axis than AVT in chickens and induces higher levels of CORT in males compared to females.
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2008, PsychoneuroendocrinologyCitation Excerpt :Oxt within the PVN appears to inhibit the effect on local Avp release under basal conditions and also to inhibit the ACTH response to acute forced swim stress (Neumann et al., 2006). The lack of fluoxetine effects on Avp, Oxt or Crh mRNA expression in the PVN of males of either genotype also points to gender differences in the regulation of neuropeptide gene expression in the Avpr1b KO and wild-type mice—there is a pronounced sexual dimorphism in the expression of Avp in extra-hypothalamic neuronal fibres (Wang et al., 1993) and there are sex differences in the localisation of neuropeptides and neuronal activation in the PVN (Rivalland et al., 2005; Viau et al., 2005). The question of whether there are gender differences in brain Avpr1b expression is likely to be resolved when selective, high-affinity radiolabelled Avpr1b ligands are developed.