Skip to main content
Log in

Expression of androgen receptor and its co-localization with estrogen receptor-alpha in the developing pituitary gland of sheep fetus

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Histochemistry and Cell Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

No information is known concerning the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and its co-localization with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in the developing pituitary of sheep fetus. In the present study, we detected AR expression and its co-localization with ERα in the anterior pituitary of sheep fetus from day 60 of gestation to the postnatal by dual immunochemistry. The results showed that both AR immunoreactivity (AR-ir) and ERα immunoreactivity (ERα-ir) were predominantly localized in the nuclei of LH positive gonadotropes. The cell counting results showed that the percentage of the anterior pituitary cells expressing AR fluctuated from 13.51 ± 0.92 to 17.05 ± 1.83% during the examined stages, but there were no significant differences between sexes and among ages examined (P > 0.05). However, the proportion of AR-ir cells containing LH markedly increased from day 60 of gestation to the neonatal (P < 0.05). The percentage of AR-ir cells expressing ERα-ir significantly increased from day 60 of gestation to the neonatal, respectively (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were seen between genders at each stage examined. These results indicate that both AR and ERα are mainly expressed in the gonadotropes of anterior pituitary gland of sheep fetuses, whereas the functions and interaction of AR and ERα expressions in the developing pituitary gland are required to be elucidated further.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beato M, Herrlich P, Schutz G (1995) Steroid hormone receptors: many actors in search of a plot. Cell 83:851–857

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brandenberger AW, Tee MK, Lee JY, Chao V, Jaffe RB (1997) Tissue distribution of estrogen receptors alpha (ER-alpha) and beta (ER-beta) mRNA in the midgestational human fetus. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 82:3509–3512

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choate JV, Slayden OD, Resko JA (1998) Immunocytochemical localization of androgen receptors in brains of developing and adult male rhesus monkeys. Endocrine 8:51–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke IJ (2002) Multifarious effects of estrogen on the pituitary gonadotrope with special emphasis on studies in the ovine species. Arch Physiol Biochem 110:62–73

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crocoll A, Zhu CC, Cato AC, Blum M (1998) Expression of androgen receptor mRNA during mouse embryogenesis. Mech Dev 72:175–178

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui S, Liu JL, ShaoYJ, Zhang JC (2004) Parallel changes between the percentage of fetal pituitary cells immunoreactive to oestrogen receptor α and the concentration of 17β-oestradiol in fetal and maternal plasma during gestation in sheep. Reprod Fertil Dev 16:611–616

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Parra S, Argente J, Garcia-Segura LM, Chowen JA (1998) Cellular composition of the adult rat anterior pituitary is influenced by the neonatal sex steroid environment. Neuroendocrinology 68:152–162

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzazalez-Parra S, Argente J, Garcia-Segura LM, Chowen JA (2000) Effect of neonatal and adult testosterone treatment on the cellular composition of the adult female rat anterior pituitary. J Endocrinol 164:265–276

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal HO, Bartol FF, Wiley AA, Khalil MK, Chiu J, Vig MM (1997) Immunolocalization of androgen receptor and estrogen receptor in the developing testis and excurrent ducts of goats. Anat Rec 249:54–62

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Handa RJ, Stadelman HL, Resko JA (1987) Effect of estrogen on androgen receptor dynamics in female rat pituitary. Endocrinology 121:84–89

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hasui K, Takatsuka T, Sakamoto R, Matsushita S, Tsuyama S, Izumo S, Murata F (2003) Double autoimmunostaining with glycine treatment. J Histochem Cytochem 51:1169–1176

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hileman SM, Lubbers LS, Kuehl DE, Schaeffer DJ, Rhodes L, Jackson GL (1994) Effect of inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase activity on the ability of testosterone to inhibit luteinizing hormone release in male sheep. Biol Reprod 50:1244–1250

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iqbal J, Swanson JJ, Prins GS, Jacobson CD (1995) Androgen receptor-like immunoreactivity in the Brazilian opossum brain and pituitary: distribution and effects of castration and testosterone replacement in the adult male. Brain Res 703:1–18

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen JS, Nilson JH (2001) AR suppresses transcription of the LH beta subunit by interacting with steroidogenicfactor-1. Mol Endocrinol 15:1505–1516

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller ET, Ershler WB, Chang C (1996) The androgen receptor: a mediator of diverse responses. Front Biosci 1:d59–d71

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindzey J, Wetsel WC, Couse JF, Stoker T, Cooper R, Korach KS (1998) Effects of Castration and chronic steroid treatments on hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone content and pituitary gonadotropins in male wild-type and estrogen receptor-α knockout mice. Endocrinology 139:4092–4101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Cui S (2005) Ontogeny of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and its co-localization with pituitary hormones in the pituitary gland of chick embryos. Cell Tissue Res 320:235–242

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacLusky N, Naftolin F (1981) Sexual differentiation of the central nervous system. Science 211:1294–1302

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCann JP, Mayes JS, Hendricks GR, Harjo JB, Watson GH (2001) Subcellular distribution and glycosylation pattern of androgen receptor from sheep omental adipose tissue. J Endocrinol 169:587–593

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mesiano S, Hart CS, Heyer BW, Kaplan SL, Grumbach MM (1991) Hormone ontogeny in the ovine fetus. XXVI. A sex difference in the effect of castration on the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadotropin unit in the ovine fetus. Endocrinology 129:3073–3079

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naess O, Haug E, Attramadal A, Aakvaag A, Hansson V, French F (1976) Androgen receptors in the anterior pituitary and central nervous system of the androgen “insensitive” (Tfm) rat: correlation between receptor binding and effects of androgens on gonadotropin secretion. Endocrinology 99:1295–1303

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nishihara E, Nagayama Y, Inoue S, Hiroi H, Muramatsu M, Yamashita S, Koji T (2000) Ontogenetic changes in the expression of estrogen receptor alpha and beta in rat pituitary gland detected by immunohistochemistry. Endocrinology 141:615–620

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ochiai I, Matsuda KI, Nishi M, Ozawa H, Kawata M (2004) Imaging analysis of subcellular correlation of androgen receptor and estrogen receptor in single living cells using green fluorescent protein color variants. Mol Endocrinol 18:26–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okada Y, Fujii Y, Moore JP Jr, Winters SJ (2003) Androgen receptors in gonadotrophs in pituitary cultures from adult male monkeys and rats. Endocrinology 144:267–273

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panet-Raymond V, Gottlieb B, Beitel LK, Pinsky L, Trifiro MA (2000) Interactions between androgen and estrogen receptors and the effects on their transactivational properties. Mol Cell Endocrinol 167:139–150

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schanbacher BD, Johnson MP, Tindall DJ (1987) Androgenic regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion: relationship to androgen binding in sheep pituitary. Biol Reprod 36:340–350

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scully KM, Gleiberman AS, Lindzey J, Lubahn DB, Korach KS, Rosenfeld MG (1997) Role of estrogen Receptor-alpha in the Anterior Pituitary Gland. Mol Endocrinol 11:674–681

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sheng C, McNeilly AS, Brookst AN (1998) Immunohistochemical distribution of oestrogen receptor and luteinizing hormone β subunit in the ovine pituitary gland during fetal development. J neuroendocrinol 10:713–718

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stefaneanu L (1997) Pituitary sex steroid receptors: localization and function. Endocr Pathol 8:91–108

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tian X, Cui S, Liu J, Yi S (2004) Expression of estrogen receptors in the efferent ductile of male sheep fetuses during gestation. Histochem Cell Biol 122:473–475

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tilbrook AJ, Clarke IJ (2001) Negative feedback regulation of the secretion and actions of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in males. Biol Reprod 64:735–742

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wersinger SR, Haisenleder DJ, Lubahn DB, Rissman EF (1999) Steroid feedback on gonadotropin release and pituitary gonadotropin subunit mRNA in mice lacking a functional estrogen receptor alpha. Endocrine 11:137–143

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Woods JE, Blandin CM, Thommes RC (1994) Ontogeny of immunocytochemically demonstrable androgen and androgen receptor-containing cells in the hypothalamus and adenohypophysis of the chick embryo. Growth Dev Aging 58:21–31

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Woods JE, Otten LM, Thommes RC (1995) Ontogeny of 17B-estradiol (E2) and estrogen receptor (ER)-immunostained cells in the hypothalamus and adenohyophyseal pars distalis of the chick embryo. Growth Dev Aging 59:93–105

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported from grants of the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (6042013) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (30325034, 30471264). We thank Prof. AS McNeilly (Centre for reproductive biology, Edinburgh, UK) for the kind gift of rabbit anti-ovine LH and PRL antibody. We also thank Professor GL Xia, Department of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, People’s Republic of China for reviewing the English manuscript. Anti-ovine GH, anti-ovine TSH and anti-human ACTH primary antibodies were obtained through the National Hormone and Peptide Program (NHPP), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) & Dr Parlow (NHPP).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheng Cui.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM1 (DOC 520 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yuan, X., He, Y., Liu, J. et al. Expression of androgen receptor and its co-localization with estrogen receptor-alpha in the developing pituitary gland of sheep fetus. Histochem Cell Biol 127, 423–432 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-006-0262-6

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-006-0262-6

Keywords

Navigation