Endocrinology, Vol 124, 60-68, Copyright © 1989 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Ontogeny of expression of the corticotropin-releasing factor gene in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and of the proopiomelanocortin gene in rat pituitary

M Grino, WS Young 3d and JM Burgunder
Unit on Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

The ontogeny of expression of the CRF gene in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and POMC gene in the pituitary was studied in rats using in situ hybridization histochemistry and Northern blotting techniques, respectively. CRF mRNA was first detected on day 17 of gestation (E17) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. The levels of hypothalamic CRF mRNA increased progressively from E17 to E19- E20, decreased during the perinatal period, and increased thereafter. The levels of POMC mRNA in the pituitary paralleled the variations in hypothalamic CRF mRNA, showing a peak on E20-E21. POMC mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary were decreased on days 4-7 after birth (P4-P7) and increased steadily thereafter. In contrast to levels in the anterior pituitary, POMC mRNA levels increased steadily from P1 to P21 in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary. These data indicate that the expression of both the CRF and POMC genes in the paraventricular nucleus and anterior pituitary, respectively, are reduced during the first week of life, i.e. within the so-called stress nonresponsive period. Our observations suggest that an impaired regulation of ACTH and CRF synthesis due to an immature neuronal pathway within the brain or increased glucocorticoid feedback may account for the stress nonresponsive period.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Remmers, L. A. W. Verhagen, R. A. H. Adan, and H. A. Delemarre-van de Waal Hypothalamic Neuropeptide Expression of Juvenile and Middle-Aged Rats after Early Postnatal Food Restriction Endocrinology, July 1, 2008; 149(7): 3617 - 3625. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Schmidt, S. Levine, M. S. Oitzl, M. van der Mark, M. B. Muller, F. Holsboer, and E. R. de Kloet Glucocorticoid Receptor Blockade Disinhibits Pituitary-Adrenal Activity during the Stress Hyporesponsive Period of the Mouse Endocrinology, March 1, 2005; 146(3): 1458 - 1464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Guillemin Hypothalamic hormones a.k.a. hypothalamic releasing factors J. Endocrinol., January 1, 2005; 184(1): 11 - 28. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Vandenborne, B. De Groef, S. M. E. Geelissen, G. C. Boorse, R. J. Denver, E. R. Kuhn, V. M. Darras, and S. Van der Geyten Molecular Cloning and Developmental Expression of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor in the Chicken Endocrinology, January 1, 2005; 146(1): 301 - 308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. F. Dallman Editorial: Moments in Time--The Neonatal Rat Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Endocrinology, May 1, 2000; 141(5): 1590 - 1592. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Smith, S.-Y. Kim, H. J. J. van Oers, and S. Levine Maternal Deprivation and Stress Induce Immediate Early Genes in the Infant Rat Brain Endocrinology, November 1, 1997; 138(11): 4622 - 4628. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M D Schonemann, A K Ryan, R J McEvilly, S M O'Connell, C A Arias, K A Kalla, P Li, P E Sawchenko, and M G Rosenfeld Development and survival of the endocrine hypothalamus and posterior pituitary gland requires the neuronal POU domain factor Brn-2. Genes & Dev., December 15, 1995; 9(24): 3122 - 3135. [Abstract] [PDF]