Endocrinology Vol. 140, No. 11 5382-5390
Copyright © 1999 by The Endocrine Society
Morphological Evidence for Direct Interaction between Arcuate Nucleus Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Neurons and Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons and the Possible Involvement of NPY Y1 Receptors1
Chien Li,
Peilin Chen and
M. Susan Smith
Division of Neuroscience, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center,
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health Sciences
University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. M. Susan Smith, Division of Neuroscience, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97006. E-mail:
smithsu{at}ohsu.edu
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Abstract
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Neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus
(ARH) have been shown to play an important role in modulating LH
secretion. One mechanism by which the ARH NPY system may regulate LH
secretion is by modulating GnRH neuronal function. Thus, the present
study examined whether the ARH NPY system provided direct input to GnRH
cell bodies in the preoptic area (POA), as well as to their nerve
terminals in the median eminence (ME). The possible involvement of the
NPY Y1 receptor subtype in mediating the effects of NPY was also
investigated. Lactating rats were used in these studies because they
have increased hypothalamic NPY content, especially in the ARH/ME
areas, making it easier to detect NPY fibers and terminals. The
anterograde tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin
(PHA-L), was iontophoresed into the ARH of lactating rats; and
triple-label immunofluorescence was performed, with the aid of confocal
microscopy, to visualize NPY, PHA-L, and GnRH. GnRH cell bodies were
found scattered throughout the organum vasculosum laminae
terminalis (OVLT)/POA region, and NPY/PHA-L double-labeled
fibers were found in very close proximity to numerous GnRH perikarya.
In the ME, double-labeled NPY/PHA-L fibers were found in the inner and
external zones, and they were found in close proximity to GnRH neuronal
fibers. Using a NPY Y1 specific antibody, double-label
immunofluorescence was performed to examine whether the Y1 receptor
subtype was expressed in GnRH neurons. No convincing Y1-positive
staining was found in GnRH cell bodies in the OVLT/POA region. However,
abundant Y1-positive fiber and cell staining were observed throughout
the region, and Y1-positive fibers were found in close apposition to
GnRH cell bodies. In contrast, numerous GnRH nerve fibers and terminals
in both the OVLT and ME were colocalized with Y1-positive staining. The
results of this study suggest that ARH NPY neurons come in close
contact with GnRH neurons and may provide direct input to both GnRH
cell bodies in the POA region and to their nerve terminals in the ME.
The Y1 receptor subtype may be directly involved in NPY modulation of
GnRH secretion from its nerve terminals.
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Introduction
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NEUROPEPTIDE Y (NPY) neurons in the arcuate
nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) have been shown to play an important
role in modulating female reproductive function by acting on several
different levels of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis (1, 2). One
possible mechanism by which the ARH NPY system may regulate LH
secretion, and subsequently reproductive function, is to directly
modulate GnRH neuronal activity in the preoptic area (POA).
Anatomically, NPY terminals have been shown to make synaptic contacts
with GnRH neurons in POA (3, 4, 5), although the specific origin of NPY
inputs is unknown. NPY neuronal projections to the POA have been
demonstrated from the ARH and brain stem (6, 7, 8). In addition, NPY can
modulate GnRH secretion from the median eminence (ME) under both
in vitro and in vivo conditions (9, 10, 11),
suggesting that NPY reaches the ME to modulate GnRH secretion from its
nerve terminals. The origin of the NPY fibers in the ME has not been
examined in detail.
Another important unanswered question regarding the possible effects of
NPY on GnRH neurons is the receptor subtypes that may be important in
mediating the potential effects of NPY. Pharmacological studies have
suggested that NPY Y1 receptors are involved in the central effect of
NPY in mediating LH secretion (12, 13). In addition, Y1 receptor is
expressed in the GnRH-like tumor cell line, GT11 cells (14). Thus,
these results suggest that Y1 receptors may be expressed in endogenous
GnRH neurons to mediate the effects of NPY.
To provide an anatomical basis for the potential direct effect of ARH
NPY on GnRH neurons, morphological studies were conducted in lactating
rats. This animal model was chosen because several studies have shown
that the activity of the ARH NPY neurons is significantly elevated
during lactation (15, 16, 17), resulting in a significant increase in NPY
content, thus making it easier to detect NPY fibers and nerve
terminals. In addition, a reduced GnRH neuronal activity and/or
secretion has been postulated to account, in part, for the suppression
of LH secretion that is characteristic of lactation (18, 19, 20). One
possible candidate that may be involved in the suppression of LH
secretion is NPY. Furthermore, during lactation, NPY immunostaining in
ME is greatly enhanced, compared with the nonlactating rat (21, 22),
implying that during lactation, NPY input in the ME may have greater
impact on GnRH secretion from its terminals. Thus, the possible direct
interaction between the ARH NPY system and GnRH neurons has relevance
to an understanding of the regulation of cyclic reproductive function
during lactation.
The present studies first used the anterograde tracer, Phaseolus
vulgaris leucoagglutinin, PHA-L (23), combined with multiple
immunofluorescent staining, to examine whether, in lactating rats, NPY
neuronal fibers from the ARH make close appositions to GnRH perikarya,
as well as to its nerve terminals. In the second experiment, the
presence of NPY Y1 receptor expression on GnRH neurons was examined by
double-label immunostaining.
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Materials and Methods
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Animals
Day 1819 pregnant Sprague Dawley rats (B & K Universal Inc.,
Kent, WA) were housed individually and were maintained under a 12-h
light, 12-h dark cycle (lights on at 0700 h) and constant
temperature (23 ± 2 C). Food and water were provided ad
libitum. The pregnant rats were checked for the birth of the pups
every morning; the day of delivery was considered as day 0 postpartum.
Lactating rats were used in these studies because of the increase in
NPY content in the ARH/ME areas, making it easier to detect NPY fibers
and terminals (15, 17). All the animal procedures were approved by the
Oregon Regional Primate Research Center Institutional Animal Care and
Use Committee.
Anterograde tracer injection
Lactating animals suckling eight pups received the tracer
injection on day 1 postpartum. Animals were anesthetized with
tribromoethanol (20 mg/100 g BW) and placed in a stereotaxic apparatus.
A glass micropipette with tip diameter of 1020 µm was filled with
the anterograde tracer, PHA-L (Vector Laboratories, Inc.,
Burlingame , CA; 2.5% wt/vol, in filtered phosphate buffer),
and inserted into the region of the ARH. Injection coordinates were
3.03.3 mm caudal, 0.2 mm lateral to the bregma, and 9.35 mm below the
dura for the caudal portion of the ARH, according to the atlas of
Paxinos and Watson (24). The caudal portion of the ARH was chosen
because increased NPY activity is restricted to this area during
lactation 15, 17). PHA-L was injected by iontophoresis with 5 µA
current, pulsed at 7-sec intervals for 20 min. The glass pipette was
left in situ for an additional 5 min before retrieving.
After the injection, the animals were returned to their pups.
Perfusion and tissue sectioning
Ten to 12 days post injection, lactating animals were
anesthetized with an overdose of pentobarbital (125 mg/kg BW, ip) and
perfused transcardially with 150 ml of 2% sodium nitrite in saline,
followed by 350 ml 3.8% of borax in 4% paraformaldehyde (pH 9.5). The
brain was removed and immersed in 25% sucrose at 4 C for 6 h.
Coronal sections for the whole brain (25 µm) were cut on a sliding
microtome and collected in a one-in-four series. The tissue sections
were stored at -20 C in multiwell tissue culture plates containing
cryoprotectant until use.
Immunocytochemistry procedures
Verification of injection site. Tissue sections containing
the ARH were rinsed in 0.05 M potassium PBS (KPBS) several
times and incubated in rabbit anti-PHA-L antibody (1:500; DAKO Corp., Carpinteria, CA) in KPBS with 0.4% Triton X-100 at room
temperature for 1 h. After the incubation, the tissue was rinsed
with KPBS and incubated in fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated goat
antirabbit IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.,
West Grove, PA) for 1 h. After incubation, the sections were
rinsed, mounted on glass slides, air dried, and coverslipped with
buffered glycerol. The staining was examined under an epifluorescent
microscope. Five animals with injection sites centered in the ARH were
used in the following studies.
Multiple label immunofluorescence. For GnRH, NPY, and PHA-L
triple labeling, the tissue sections were incubated in a mixture of
rabbit anti-PHA-L antibody (1:1000), goat anti-NPY antiserum (1:4000,
provided by Dr. Philip J. Larsen at Novo Nordisk A/S,
Glostrup, Denmark), and the mouse anti-GnRH antibody (1:600,
provided by Dr. Henryk Urbanski at the Oregon Regional Primate Research
Center) in KPBS with 0.4% Triton X-100 and 5% nonfat milk at room
temperature for 1 h, followed by 4 C for 48 h. After several
washes with KPBS, the sections were incubated in a mixture of affinity
purified secondary antibodies (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.): donkey antirabbit IgG conjugated with
biotin (1:600), donkey antigoat IgG conjugated with tetramethyl
rhodamine (1:300), and donkey antimouse IgG conjugated with
indodicarbocyanine (Cy5, 1:300) at room temperature for 1 h,
followed by incubation in avidin-conjugated fluorescein isothiocyanate
(1:1000) for 1 h. After the incubation, the sections were rinsed,
mounted with buffered glycerol, and coverslipped.
For GnRH and NPY Y1 receptor double labeling, tissue sections were
incubated in the antibody mixture containing rabbit anti-Y1 receptor
antiserum (1:7000, provided by the CURE/Gastroenteric Biology
Center, Antibody/RIA Core, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) and mouse
anti-GnRH antibody (1:1000). The specificity of the anti-Y1 receptor
antiserum has been evaluated in earlier studies (25, 26). In the
present studies, the specificity was further confirmed by preabsorbing
the antibody with the Y1 receptor fragment used to generate the
antibody. The secondary antibodies (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.) used were donkey antirabbit IgG conjugated
with biotin (1:600) and donkey antimouse IgG conjugated with cy5
(1:400). Y1-immunoreactive signal was further amplified with tyramide
signal amplification-indirect technology using a commercial kit
(tyramide signal amplification-indirect kit; NEN Life Science Products, Boston, MA) and was visualized with Cy2-conjugated
streptavidin (1:1000, Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc.).
Image analysis
The triple-labeling results were analyzed with the aid of
confocal laser scanning microscopy. The Leica Corp.
(Germany) TSC NT confocal system consisted of a Leica Corp. RBE inverted microscope equipped with a Ar laser producing
light at 467 nm and 488 nm, a Kr laser for 568 nm, and a HeNe laser for
647 nm light. Various objectives (25x/NA 0.75, 40x/NA 1.25, and
100x/NA 1.4) were used to scan the images. A series of continuous
optical sections, at 0.78-µm intervals along the z-axis of a tissue
section, were scanned for all 3 fluorescent signals. The signals
obtained for each fluorophore on one series of optical sections were
stored separately as a series of 512 x 512 pixel images. The
images were then processed with the MetaMorph Imaging System (Universal
Imaging Corporation, West Chester, PA). The confocal images are
presented as projections (a maximum value projection is a series
of 32 individual optical planes covering 25 µm, or as single optical
planes. PHA-L and NPY single-labeled images were first combined
together to obtain the NPY fibers that also stained positively for
PHA-L. The NPY/PHA-L double-labeled images were then combined with
GnRH-stained images to analyze for the presence of close appositions
between the NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers and GnRH-positive neurons
in POA and GnRH terminals in ME. Similar procedures were used for
analyzing the GnRH/Y1 double- labeling results.
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Results
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Validation of PHA-L injection site in the ARH
The injection site for each animal was verified by the
quick-staining process. Only animals (n = 5) with injection sites
centered around the ARH (Fig. 1
) were
used for the multiple-labeling studies. When PHA-L fibers were examined
under dark field, dense tracer-labeled fibers were found mainly in the
hypothalamus, including the medial POA (mPOA), periventricular POA, the
parvocellular portion of the paraventricular nucleus, dorsomedial
nucleus, the ARH, and the ME (data not shown). Outside the
hypothalamus, PHA-L fibers were found mainly in the ventral part of the
lateral septum and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. It should
be pointed out that one PHA-L injection labels only a small number of
neurons surrounding the injection site (23). Thus, the PHA-L/NPY
double-labeled fibers observed in the present study represent only a
small percentage of NPY fibers from the ARH. Because only a small
portion of ARH NPY neurons are labeled after one PHA-L injection, it is
not possible to quantify the portion of NPY input to GnRH neurons that
is derived from the ARH.

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Figure 1. Representative fluorescent photomicrograph showing
the PHA-L injection site (arrow) in the ARH.
Dotted lines outline the boundary of the third ventricle
and the base of the hypothalamus. 3V, Third ventricle; scale
bar, 20 µm.
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Triple-labeling for GnRH, NPY, and PHA-L in the organum vasculosum
laminae terminalus (OVLT) and rostral POA
Using multiple immunostaining, with the aid of confocal
microscopy, GnRH neurons and NPY fibers from ARH NPY neurons in the POA
and ME were examined for possible close appositions. As shown in Fig. 2
, ac, NPY and PHA-L single-labeled
images were combined to identify NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers.
GnRH-positive neurons (Fig. 2d
, green) were found scattered
in the OVLT and the rostral end of the POA. NPY single-labeled fibers
(white), as well as NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers
(orange), which represent the NPY fibers from the ARH NPY
neurons, were also found (Fig. 2
). When multiple staining signals were
examined at higher magnification, NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers made
close appositions on GnRH-positive neurons in the OVLT area (Fig. 3
). An examination of 0.78-µm single
optical sections through each GnRH neuron demonstrated that the
double-labeled fibers did make contact with the cell bodies. Although
these results did not permit an assessment of the portion of NPY input
to GnRH neurons that was derived from the ARH, some quantitative
evaluation could be made. In general, each 25-µm tissue section of
the OVLT/POA contained, on average, approximately 20 GnRH cell bodies,
and almost all cell bodies were surrounded by NPY fibers. Nearly 50%
of the GnRH cell bodies showed close appositions with NPY neurons, and
about one-fifth of those close appositions represented NPY neurons from
the ARH.

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Figure 2. Pseudocolor confocal image projection showing the
immunofluorescent labeling of NPY (a, white color),
PHA-L (b, blue color), and NPY/PHA-L double-labeled
fibers (c, orange color) in the OVLT area. Examples of
double- labeled fibers are indicated by empty
arrowheads. d, Pseudocolor confocal image projection showing
the presence of NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers (orange)
in the vicinity of GnRH neurons (green) in the OVLT
area. One double-labeled fiber (arrowheads) was found to
be very close (indicated by yellow) to the GnRH cell
body. NPY single-labeled fibers (white) were also found
in this area. Scale bar, 50 µm.
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Figure 3. Four examples of higher magnification confocal
image projections showing the relationship between NPY single-labeled
(white), as well as NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers
(orange fibers) and GnRH-positive neurons
(green) in the OVLT area. The close appositions of NPY
single-labeled fibers (white color, arrows), as well as
NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers (yellow, empty
arrowheads) on GnRH neurons were observed in this area. The
close appositions were confirmed after examining the individual images
in a series of 0.78-µm optical sections. Scale bar, 10
µm.
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In the mPOA region, GnRH neurons were found mostly in the ventrolateral
part of the mPOA, whereas the majority of ARH-NPY fibers were observed
in the medial part of the mPOA, as well as in the periventricular POA.
Thus, no close appositions were found between ARH-NPY fibers and GnRH
cell bodies in the mPOA region (data not shown).
Triple labeling for GnRH, NPY, and PHA-L in the ME
In the ME, procedures similar to those described above were used
to identify NPY and PHA-L single-labeled fibers, as well as NPY/PHA-L
double-labeled fibers. The GnRH-positive fibers and nerve terminals in
the ME were concentrated in the external layers, whereas NPY-positive
fibers were found mainly in the internal layers (Fig. 4
). Nonetheless, many NPY-positive, as
well as NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers, were observed in the external
layers, which were in the vicinity of the GnRH fibers and nerve
terminals. About 30% of the NPY fibers were double labeled with PHA-L.
At higher magnification (Fig. 5
),
numerous double-labeled fibers could be seen making very close
appositions (within 0.78 µm) on GnRH terminals.

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Figure 4. Representative confocal image projection showing
the immunofluorescent labeling of NPY (white), NPY/PHA-L
double-labeled fibers (orange), and GnRH nerve terminals
(green) in the ME. The image shows the presence of
NPY/PHA-L double-labeled fibers (orange) in the vicinity
of GnRH nerve terminals (green) in the caudal ME. The
majority of the GnRH staining was localized in the external zone of the
ME. In the external zone, NPY single- labeled (white,
arrows), as well as the double-labeled fibers (yellow,
arrowheads) were observed in the proximity of the GnRH
terminals. Scale bar, 25 µm.
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Figure 5. a, Higher magnification pseudo- color
confocal image projection showing the relationship between NPY
single-labeled (white), as well as NPY/PHA-L
double-labeled fibers (orange) and GnRH-positive fibers
(green) in the ME area. Close appositions
(yellow) between the double-labeled and GnRH nerve
fibers were observed throughout the area. bd, Four single optical
sections (0.78 µm in thickness) to illustrate the close apposition
(yellow, arrowheads) between the double-labeled fibers
and the GnRH fibers in the boxed areas 14 in a.
Scale bar, 10 µm.
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Double labeling for GnRH and NPY Y1 receptors
To validate the specificity of the Y1 receptor antibody, some
brain sections were incubated with Y1 receptor antibody that had been
preabsorbed for 3 h with the peptide fragment used to generate the
antibody. As shown in Fig. 6
, control
peptide preabsorption completely eliminated Y1 staining from the brain
sections. The Y1 immunostaining pattern obtained was identical to
previously reported studies (25, 26) and included labeling of both cell
bodies and nerve fibers (data not shown). The GnRH and Y1 double-label
staining was examined with confocal microscopy. In the OVLT/POA area,
where the GnRH cell bodies are located, intensive Y1 receptor staining
was observed (Fig. 7
). Most of the Y1
staining resembled neuronal fibers, but occasional cell body staining
was also found. When GnRH and Y1 staining were visualized
simultaneously, most GnRH cell bodies were found surrounded by
Y1-positive fiber staining, but no convincing colocalization between
GnRH-positive and Y1-positive cells could be found (Fig. 7
). Some
Y1-positive fibers were found in close apposition to the GnRH cell
bodies (Fig. 7).

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Figure 6. Fluorescent photomicrographs showing Y1 receptor
immunostaining in the ARH area with (a) or without (b) the
preabsorption of control peptide. The white lines in
panel a outline the boundary of the third ventricle and the base of the
brain. Scale bar, 50 µm.
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Figure 7. a, Pseudocolor confocal image projection showing
the fluorescent staining of Y1 receptor (green) and GnRH
neurons (red) in the OVLT area; b, higher magnification
of the boxed area in panel a. When the Y1 receptor (c,
green) and GnRH (d, red) staining in b
were viewed separately, no GnRH neurons were found to be Y1-receptor
positive. Only a GnRH fiber (empty arrowheads, bd) was
stained positively for Y1 receptor. However, several Y1-positive fibers
were found to make close appositions on the GnRH cell bodies
(solid arrowheads, bd). Scale bar, 50
µm in a and 10 µm in d.
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In the OVLT (Fig. 8
) and ME (Fig. 9
), where intensive GnRH neuronal fibers
and nerve terminals are located, strong Y1-positive fibers were also
observed. In addition, Y1 immunostaining was found in the vasculature
outside the brain (Figs. 8
and 9
). When GnRH and Y1 staining in the ME
were viewed simultaneously under higher magnification, many Y1-positive
fibers were also GnRH-positive (Fig. 9
, bd). In addition, some close
appositions between GnRH and Y1-positive fibers were found in the same
area (Fig. 9
, bd).

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Figure 8. Confocal image projection showing the
immunofluorescent staining of Y1 receptor (green) and
GnRH fibers and nerve terminals (red) in the OVLT. Many
GnRH fibers and nerve terminals were found to colocalize Y1 receptor
(yellow, representative examples are indicated by
arrowheads). Positive Y1 vasculature staining was also
noticed (arrows). Scale bar, 25 µm.
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Figure 9. a, Confocal image projection showing the
immunofluorescent staining of Y1 receptor (green) and
GnRH fibers (red) in the ARH and ME. Many Y1
receptor-positive neurons were observed in the ARH (empty
arrowheads). In the ME, intensive GnRH fiber staining was found
in the lateral part of the ME, where many GnRH fibers were colocalized
with Y1 receptor (yellow). Positive Y1 vasculature
staining was also noticed (arrow). b, Higher
magnification (100x) of boxed area from a. The
colocalization or close apposition between Y1 (green)
and GnRH (red) neural fibers are shown as
yellow (examples of colocalization are indicated by the
arrowheads; examples of close apposition are indicated
by the empty arrows). c and d, Y1 receptor (c,
green) and GnRH (d, red) images in b
viewed separately. The positions of arrowheads and
empty arrows in c and d correspond to the positions
shown in b. Scale bars, 50 µm in a and 10 µm in b.
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Discussion
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It has been postulated that ARH NPY neurons may affect female
reproductive function by directly modulating the GnRH system in the
hypothalamus (1, 2, 15). To provide an anatomical framework for the
proposed hypothesis, PHA-L anterograde tracing, combined with multiple
immunofluorescent staining, was used in the lactating rat. The
increased NPY content in the hypothalamus of lactating animals made it
possible to easily detect NPY fibers and terminals in the POA and ME.
The present study demonstrates that ARH NPY neurons make close contact
with GnRH neurons in the POA and may provide direct input. Because only
a small number of ARH NPY neurons are labeled with a single injection
of PHA-L, it is not possible to quantify ARH NPY contacts on GnRH cell
bodies. However, based on the frequency of ARH NPY close contacts on
GnRH cell bodies that was observed in this study, it is reasonable to
speculate that ARH NPY direct input to GnRH cell bodies may be quite
abundant. Other sources of direct NPY input to GnRH cell bodies have
not been identified, although brain stem NPY neurons have also been
shown to project to areas containing GnRH cell bodies and, therefore,
are candidates for direct input (8).
In addition, the present study also showed that ARH NPY fibers are
present in the ME and make close appositions on GnRH fibers. This
result suggests that ARH NPY input may modulate GnRH secretion from its
nerve terminals in the ME. It has been shown that NPY suppresses LH
secretion when the steroid hormone levels are low, such as during
lactation (12), whereas under conditions when steroid hormone levels
are elevated, such as during proestrus of the estrous cycle, NPY can
stimulate GnRH secretion from the ME (12). Thus, it is reasonable to
speculate, based on the morphological data provided by these studies,
that the ARH NPY input to GnRH terminals in the ME may play a role in
the regulation of GnRH secretion during different reproductive states
when steroid hormone secretion is altered. However, more studies are
needed to further elucidate this issue. In addition, it has been well
established that NPY is released into the hypophysial portal
vasculature (27, 28). The presence of ARH NPY in the ME, particular the
external layer, suggests that the ARH is a source of NPY in the portal
system. Thus, ARH NPY may also be having direct effects at the
pituitary level, because NPY has been shown to modulate the secretion
of several hormones from the anterior pituitary (12, 29, 30, 31, 32).
To begin to assess the receptor subtypes expressed on GnRH neurons that
may mediate the effects of ARH NPY input, the present study
demonstrated the expression of Y1 receptor on GnRH neurons, using an
antibody specific to the Y1 receptor. The specificity of the antibody
has been evaluated in several earlier studies (26, 27). In addition,
the amino acid sequence to which the antibody was raised is specific to
the Y1 receptor. Furthermore, in the present study, the complete
absence of staining after the antibody was preabsorbed with the Y1
receptor fragment used to generate the antibody further confirmed that
the antibody was specific to the Y1 receptor peptide. The present study
showed that Y1 staining in GnRH neurons was predominantly in axons,
rarely was it found in cell bodies. The lack of Y1 staining in GnRH
cell bodies could not be attributed to the inability of the antibody to
stain cell bodies, because numerous Y1-positive cell bodies were
observed throughout the hypothalamus, including the POA. However, the
demonstration of possible direct ARH NPY input to the GnRH neurons in
the POA implies that there may be additional NPY receptors, other than
Y1, expressed on the perikarya to mediate the effect of ARH NPY
input.
Although no convincing Y1 staining was found in GnRH cell bodies,
Y1-positive fibers made close appositions on GnRH cell bodies in the
OVLT and rostral end of the POA. This observation suggests that in
these areas, NPY may be able to indirectly modulate GnRH neuronal
activity by synapsing on the Y1-positive fibers to modulate the
secretion of neurotransmitters or modulators from the nerve terminals
of the Y1-positive fibers. The released substrates would then regulate
GnRH neuronal activity. This notion is supported by a recent study in
which NPY was shown to modulate CRF neuronal activity in the
paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus by a presynaptic mechanism
to modulate GABA release from the presynaptic terminals (Roger D. Cone,
personal communication).
The demonstration of Y1 receptor on GnRH axons suggests that Y1
receptor may function as a presynaptic receptor to mediate the possible
effect of NPY on GnRH secretion from its nerve terminals. Several
studies have demonstrated that the Y1 receptor in several brain areas
(such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the nucleus accumbens, and the
ARH) is expressed presynaptically (33, 34, 35), even though the Y1 receptor
has been considered, in general, as a postsynaptic receptor (34, 36).
Functionally, the activation of presynaptic Y1 receptors has been shown
to be associated with the suppression of transmitter release primarily
through inhibition of Ca2+ channels (37, 38, 39, 40). Thus, it is
possible that during lactation, increased amounts of NPY in the ME may
bind to presynaptic Y1 receptors to suppress GnRH secretion from its
nerve terminals.
On the other hand, it has been shown that NPY can also stimulate GnRH
release from ME fragments obtained from proestrus rats (41), and a
study by Leupen et al. (13) suggested that the stimulatory
effect of NPY may be mediated by the Y1 receptor. Thus, more studies
are needed to further elucidate the function of Y1 receptors on GnRH
nerve terminals under conditions when it is exposed to different
patterns and levels of NPY in the ME. The present study does not rule
out the involvement of other receptor subtypes in mediating the effect
of NPY in the ME. In fact, a pharmacological study by Barker-Gibb
et al. (42) suggested that Y2 receptor may also be involved
in the presynaptic action of NPY on GnRH nerve terminals in the
ewe.
In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that ARH NPY neurons come
in close contact with GnRH neurons in the POA and with their nerve
terminals in the ME. Therefore, ARH NPY neurons may directly regulate
GnRH neuronal function. GnRH and NPY Y1 receptor double-label studies
demonstrated that the Y1 receptor is expressed on GnRH fibers and nerve
terminals but is rarely found in GnRH cell bodies. These results raise
the possibility that Y1 receptor in the ME may mediate the effects of
NPY to modulate GnRH secretion from nerve terminals.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
We wish to thank Drs. Anda Cornea, Kevin Grove, and Richard
Simerly for their comments about the manuscript. We are grateful to Dr.
Philip J. Larsen at Novo Nordisk A/S, Glostrup,
Denmark, and to Dr. Henryk Urbanski at the Oregon Regional Primate
Research Center for supplying us with antisera to NPY and GnRH.
 |
Footnotes
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|---|
1 This work was supported by NIH Grants HD-14643 and HD-18185 and
the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center Grant RR-00163. Antibody
NPY1R, raised against rabbits, was provided by CURE/Gastroenteric
Biology Center, Antibody/RIA Core, NIH Grant DK-41301. 
Received April 7, 1999.
 |
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