DOES STRESS MAKE US MORE "MACHOS"?

CASTAÑEDA CORTÉS, D.C.; ESTERMANN, M.; LANGLOIS, V.S.; SOMOZA, G.M.; FERNANDINO, J.I.

Buenas Aires

Jornada; XVIII Jornadas Anuales Mutidisciplinarias, Sociedad Argentina de Biología.; 2016

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

The exposure to glucocorticoids, hormones involved in stress, during the early stages of development has important implications for the rescheduling of many cellular and molecular mechanisms in vertebrates. It has been reported that high levels of cortisol induced by high water temperatures (HT) or other stressors, are involved in the process of masculinization. Corticotropin-releasing hormone is known for its central role in the regulation of neuroendocrine stress responses, through its release in the hypothalamus. Therefore, crh regulates the hypothalemic-pituitary adrenal/interrenal axis (HPA/I). In this context, our goal is that HPA/1 axis is active during early development, and is also the transducer of the stress-induced masculinization. Initially is observed in the fibers and the inmunoreactive cells-CRH (ir-CRH) in the brain and pituitary gland of larvae exposed to HT (32) and in controls (24). In addition, we identify cell ir-ACTH in the pituitary, from both incubation temperatures. Furthermore, transcript levels of CRH and ACTH in embryos raised at both temperatures were evaluated. Both crh and acth transcripts increased in the HT group, and then decline before hatching, presumably, because of the negative feedback of cortisol. Our results provide evidence that CRH could be involved in stress-induced masculinization.