Changes in oxytocin receptor mRNA in rat brain during pregnancy and the effects of estrogen and interleukin-6
Abstract
Changes in brain oxytocin receptor (OTR) binding sites during the course of pregnancy may influence the sudden onset of maternal behavior in female rats at parturition. In situ hybridization was used to identify changes in OTR messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression during pregnancy and parturition. Two patterns of mRNA regulation were observed. Relative to diestrus virgin control females, OTR mRNA was elevated in the lateral septum and medial preoptic area at days 13-15 of pregnancy but not on the morning of parturition. In the central nucleus of the amygdala and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH), OTR mRNA was most abundant on the morning of parturition. Strong signals for OTR mRNA were detected in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus and suprachiasmatic nucleus. However no group differences were detected in these areas. As estrogen and interleukin-6 have been suggested to modulate OTR gene expression and both are elevated at the time of parturition, their effects on OTR mRNA in the brain were examined. Estrogen and interleukin-6, given simultaneously, significantly elevated the concentration of OTR mRNA in the VMH, but not in the amygdala. The incr...Continue Reading
Citations
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