Genome and Hormones: Gender Differences in Physiology - Selected Contribution: Estrogen receptor-alpha antisense decreases brain estrogen receptor levels and affects ventilation in male and female rats

We hypothesized that administration of an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (O DN) to estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha mRNA decreases the ER protein in the ne onatal rat brain, alters the sex-specific ventilatory responses to aspartic acid in rats, and counteracts the effects of testosterone proportionate (T P) in females. One-day-old rat pups were injected intraventricularly with v ehicle, antisense ER ODN, or scrambled ODN control. Additional groups of fe males received TP or vehicle and one of the three treatments. Brain ER prot ein levels were decreased by 65% at 6 h and 35% at 24 h after antisense ODN . Aspartic acid decreased ventilation in all groups of weanling males and f emales except ER ODN-treated females and TP-vehicle-treated females. Aspart ic acid decreased ventilation in all groups of adult females except those g iven TP and in males. Weanling ER ODN-treated rats were shorter and weighed less than controls. Only adult ER ODN-treated males exhibited these traits . Thus neonatal ER affects aspartic acid modulation of breathing and body g rowth in a sex-specific and developmental manner.