IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v5y2014i1d10.1038_ncomms4285.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Neonatal testosterone suppresses a neuroendocrine pulse generator required for reproduction

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Marc Israel

    (INSERM, U862, Neurocentre Magendie
    Université de Bordeaux)

  • Jean-Marie Cabelguen

    (INSERM, U862, Neurocentre Magendie
    Université de Bordeaux)

  • Gwendal Le Masson

    (INSERM, U862, Neurocentre Magendie
    Université de Bordeaux)

  • Stéphane H. Oliet

    (INSERM, U862, Neurocentre Magendie
    Université de Bordeaux)

  • Philippe Ciofi

    (INSERM, U862, Neurocentre Magendie
    Université de Bordeaux)

Abstract

The pituitary gland releases hormones in a pulsatile fashion guaranteeing signalling efficiency. The determinants of pulsatility are poorly circumscribed. Here we show in magnocellular hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal oxytocin (OT) neurons that the bursting activity underlying the neurohormonal pulses necessary for parturition and the milk-ejection reflex is entirely driven by a female-specific central pattern generator (CPG). Surprisingly, this CPG is active in both male and female neonates, but is inactivated in males after the first week of life. CPG activity can be restored in males by orchidectomy or silenced in females by exogenous testosterone. This steroid effect is aromatase and caspase dependent, and is mediated via oestrogen receptor-α. This indicates the apoptosis of the CPG network during hypothalamic sexual differentiation, explaining why OT neurons do not burst in adult males. This supports the view that stereotypic neuroendocrine pulsatility is governed by CPGs, some of which are subjected to gender-specific perinatal programming.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Marc Israel & Jean-Marie Cabelguen & Gwendal Le Masson & Stéphane H. Oliet & Philippe Ciofi, 2014. "Neonatal testosterone suppresses a neuroendocrine pulse generator required for reproduction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-10, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4285
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4285
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4285
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms4285?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4285. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.