Distribution and estrogen regulation of membrane progesterone receptor-β in the female rat brain.

ABSTRACT: Although several studies have reported the localization of membrane progesterone (P(4)) receptors (mPR) in various tissues, few have attempted to describe the distribution and regulation of these receptors in the brain. In the present study, we investigated expression of two mPR subtypes, mPRα and mPRβ, within regions of the brain, known to express estradiol (E(2))-dependent [preoptic area (POA) and hypothalamus] and independent (cortex) classical progestin receptors. Saturation binding and Scatchard analyses on plasma membranes prepared from rat cortex, hypothalamus, and POA demonstrated high-affinity, specific P(4)-binding sites characteristic of mPR. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we found that mPRβ mRNA was expressed at higher levels than mPRα, indicating that mPRβ may be the primary mPR s

SUBMITTER: Zuloaga DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3423618 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature