0
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Estradiol upregulates Bcl-2 expression in adult brain neurons.

      Neuroreport
      Animals, Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus, metabolism, Brain, cytology, drug effects, physiology, Cerebral Ventricles, Estradiol, pharmacology, Estrus, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Neurons, Ovariectomy, Progesterone, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2, biosynthesis, Rats, Rats, Wistar

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPubMed
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Bcl-2, a protein which negatively modulates apoptosis, is up-regulated by estrogen in several tissues. To determine the effect of estradiol on Bcl-2 in the adult brain, its immunoreactive distribution was examined in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of female rats under different endocrine conditions. The number of Bcl-2-immunoreactive neurons was significantly increased (p < 0.001) on the day of estrus compared with proestrus, diestrus and metestrus, was decreased by ovariectomy and showed a dose-response increase after estradiol administration to ovariectomized rats. Progesterone, when injected simultaneously with estradiol, reduced the effect of estradiol. These findings indicate that ovarian hormones regulate Bcl-2 in hypothalamic neurons and suggest that this protein may be involved in the neuroprotective effects of estrogen.

          Related collections

          Most cited references4

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: not found
          • Article: not found

          The proto-oncogene Bcl-2 and its role in regulating apoptosis.

          G Kroemer (1997)
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Bcl-2 gene family in the nervous system.

            A growing family of genes that share homology with the bcl-2 proto-oncogene is involved in the regulation of cell death. Many of these proteins show widespread expression and are expressed in the nervous system in developing and adult organisms. A physiologic role for Bcl-2 and Bcl-x in neuron survival has been shown. In addition, these proteins have been shown to protect neurons from a wide array of toxic insults. In this review, we discuss the Bcl-2 family of proteins with regard to their structure and interactions. We then discuss the role of apoptotic cell death in the development of the nervous system and as a response to neuronal injury. Lastly, we discuss the evidence for a role for these cell death regulators in neuronal death decisions.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: found

              Trophic Effects of Estradiol on Fetal Rat Hypothalamic Neurons

              Sex steroids play an important role in the development and functioning of the central nervous system (CNS); however, the mechanisms by which such hormones exert these effects are not well understood. We addressed the question as to whether sex steroids affect the development of the hypothalamus, at least in part, by acting as a trophic factor to modulate the number of neurons in the hypothalamus. To this end, primary hypothalamic cultures were prepared from the brains of embryonic (day 15) fetuses. Cultures received either 17β-es-tradiol (10 –12 M ) or vehicle 6 h after seeding and everyday throughout the study. As early as 24 h later, cultures receiving 17β-estradiol had significantly more neurons (44%, p -7 M ). Testosterone (10 –10 M ), but not the nonaromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (10 –10 M ), could mimic the neuron survival-promoting effects of estradiol. Furthermore, estradiol had no significant effect on the in vitro survival of cerebral cortical neurons. These results suggest that one mechanism by which sex steroids may affect the development of the hypothalamus is through the modulation of the number of neurons that survive and that this effect is most likely mediated, at least in part, through the estrogen receptor.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Comments

                Comment on this article