Androgen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in brains and pituitaries of male rhesus monkeys: Studies on distribution, hormonal control, and relationship to luteinizing hormone secretion
Se. Abdelgadir et al., Androgen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in brains and pituitaries of male rhesus monkeys: Studies on distribution, hormonal control, and relationship to luteinizing hormone secretion, BIOL REPROD, 60(5), 1999, pp. 1251-1256
Because the distribution and hormonal regulation of the androgen receptor (
AR) mRNA in brains and pituitaries of adult rhesus monkeys have not been st
udied, we cloned and sequenced a 329-base pair segment of the 5' coding reg
ion of the rhesus AR cDNA. Monkey AR cDNA was 99% identical with the human
sequence and 96% homologous with the rat sequence. Using a ribonuclease pro
tection assay, we studied the distribution and regulation of AR mRNA in bra
ins and anterior pituitary glands of three groups of male rhesus monkeys: i
ntact (n = 3), castrated (Cx, n = 4), and Cx treated with testosterone (n =
6). Serum testosterone levels of Cx males treated with testosterone differ
ed significantly (p < 0.05) in the morning but not in the evening hours fro
m those in intact controls. Serum LH concentrations were significantly supp
ressed (p < 0.05) in both morning and evening serum samples of testosterone
-treated males compared to intact controls. We found the highest concentrat
ions of AR mRNA in the medial basal hypothalamus, the bed nucleus of the st
ria terminalis, the medial preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus, and the lat
eral dorsomedial hypothalamus. Intermediate amounts were found in the septu
m and amygdala. Low amounts were found in the hippocampus, cingulate cortex
, parietal cortex, and cerebellum. The anterior pituitary gland also contai
ned a large amount of AR mRNA. Surprisingly, neither Cx for 3 wk nor Cx plu
s testosterone replacement for 3 wk significantly affected AR mRNA in any b
rain area or in the pituitary gland.
The present study demonstrates that the effectiveness of testosterone as a
regulator of LH secretion in male monkeys is not related to changes of AR m
RNA in the brain or pituitary gland. It appears that AR mRNA in the monkey
brain and pituitary gland is not regulated at the transcriptional level by
androgen.