SiRNA silencing of estrogen receptor-? expression specifically in medial preoptic area neurons abolishes maternal care in female mice.

ABSTRACT: The medial preoptic area has been shown to be intricately involved in many behaviors, including locomotion, sexual behavior, maternal care, and aggression. The gene encoding estrogen receptor-? (ER?) protein is expressed in preoptic area neurons, and a very dense immunoreactive field of ER? is found in the preoptic region. ER? knockout animals show deficits in maternal care and sexual behavior and fail to exhibit increases in these behaviors in response to systemic estradiol treatment. In the present study, we used viral-vector mediated RNA interference to silence ER? expression specifically in the preoptic area of female mice and measured a variety of behaviors, including social and sexual aggression, maternal care, and arousal activity. Suppression of ER? in the preoptic area almost completely abolished maternal care, significantly increasing the latency to pup retrieval and significantly reducing the time the moms spent nursing and licking the pups. Strikingly, maternal aggression toward a male intruder was not different between control and preoptic ER?-silenced mice, demonstrating the remarkably specific role of ER? in these neurons. Reduction of ER? expression in preoptic neurons significantly decreased sexual behavior in female mice and increased aggression toward both sexual partners and male intruders in a seminatural environment. Estrogen-dependent increases in arousal, measured by home cage activity, were not mediated by ER? expression in the preoptic neurons we targeted, as ER?-suppressed mice had increases similar to control mice. Thus, we have established that a specific gene in a specific group of neurons is required for a crucially important natural behavior.

SUBMITTER: Ribeiro AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3479618 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature