Premium
Ontogeny of 3β‐Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase and 5α‐Reductase in the Frog Brain
Author(s) -
VALLARINO M.URO,
MATHIEU M.URA,
DOREGO JEANLUC,
BRUZZONE FEDERICA,
CHARTREL NICOLAS,
LUUTHE VAN,
PELLETIER GEORGES,
VAUDRY HUBERT
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1327.100
Subject(s) - diencephalon , cerebrum , hypothalamus , midbrain , olfactory bulb , neuroactive steroid , biology , nucleus , cerebellum , endocrinology , medicine , preoptic area , central nervous system , neuroscience , biochemistry , receptor , gabaa receptor
A bstract : The distribution of 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD) and 5α‐reductase (5α‐R) has been studied in the frog brain during development. Soon after hatching, 3β‐HSD‐ and 5α‐R‐immunoreactive (ir) cells appeared first in the olfactory bulb and in the rhombencephalon. Subsequently, 3β‐HSD‐ir cells were seen in the hypothalamus and cerebellum, whereas 5α‐R‐ir cells were visualized in the pallium, preoptic nucleus, posterocentral nucleus, cerebellum, and pituitary gland. At stages XIII‐XVIII, additional 3β‐HSD‐ and 5α‐R‐ir cells appeared in several regions of the telencephalon, diencephalon, and mesencephalon. At stages XIX‐XXI, the number of 5α‐R‐ir cells increased in the preoptic nucleus. These observations indicate that biosynthesis of biologically active steroids occurs in the brain of tadpoles, suggesting that neurosteroids may play a role in brain development.