Steroidal regulation of vasotocin receptor mRNA in a seasonally breeding songbird Open Access
Grozhik, Anna Vladimirovna (2012)
Abstract
Abstract
Steroidal regulation of vasotocin receptor mRNA in a seasonally
breeding songbird
Behaviors associated with breeding are often seasonally modulated
in a variety of species.
These seasonal changes in behavior are mediated by gonadal
steroids, levels of which likewise
vary with season. The effects of androgens on behaviors associated
with breeding may in turn
be partly mediated by the neurohypophyseal nonapeptides vasopressin
(VP) and oxytocin (OT)
in mammals, and vasotocin (VT) in birds. The effects of
testosterone (T) on production of these
neuropeptides has been well-investigated; however, the regulation
of VT receptors
well understood. In this study, I investigated steroidal regulation
of VT receptor (VTR) mRNA in
a seasonally breeding songbird, the white-throated sparrow (
Zonotrichia albicollis). VTRs and
their mammalian homologues occur as several subtypes, and I focused
on subtypes that have
been most strongly implicated in social behavior: V1a, which bears
the same name as its
mammalian homologue, and OT-like receptor, which is homologous to
mammalian OT receptor
(OTR). Using in situ hybridization, I showed that in
response to T treatment, V1a and OT-like
receptor expression was altered in several regions associated with
seasonal reproductive
behaviors such as song. In some regions, the effects of T treatment
depended on the presence
or absence of a chromosomal rearrangement that affects singing
behavior, plasma
testosterone, and VT immunolabeling in this species. Overall, the
results of this study
strengthen evidence that VT may mediate T's behavioral effects in
songbirds, and suggest that
the chromosomal rearrangement in this species may affect the
sensitivity of the vasotocin
system to seasonal changes in T.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Methods 4
Results 10
Discussion 12
References 19
Tables 28
Figures 29
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