SEX CHROMOSOME COMPLEMENT DETERMINES SEX DIFFERENCES IN AROMATASE EXPRESSION AND REGULATION IN THE STRIA TERMINALIS AND ANTERIOR AMYGDALA OF THE DEVELOPING MOUSE BRAIN

CISTERNAS, C.D.; TOMÉ, K; CAEIRO, X.; DADAM, F.; GARCIA-SEGURA, L.M.; CAMBIASSO, M.J.

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY.

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 414 p. 99 - 110

0303-7207

Aromatase, whichconverts testosterone in estradiol, is involved in the generation of brain sexdimorphisms. Here we used the ?four coregenotypes? mouse model, in which the effect of gonadal sex and sex chromosomecomplement is dissociated,to determine if sex chromosomes influence the expression of brain aromatase. The brain of 16 days old XY mouse embryos showed higher aromatase expression in thestria terminalis and the anterior amygdaloid area than the brain of XX embryos, independentof gonadal sex. Furthermore, estradiol or dihydrotestosterone increasedaromatase expression in cultures of anterior amygdala neurons derived from XXembryos, but not in those derived from XY embryos. This effect was also independent of gonadal sex. The expression of other steroidogenic molecules, estrogenreceptor-α and androgen receptor was not influenced by sex chromosomes. Inconclusion, sex chromosomes determine sex dimorphisms in aromatase expression andregulation in the developing mouse brain.