Prenatal testosterone exposure decreases colocalization of insulin receptors in kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin and agouti-related peptide neurons of the adult ewe.

ABSTRACT: Insulin serves as a link between the metabolic and reproductive systems, communicating energy availability to the hypothalamus and enabling reproductive mechanisms. Adult Suffolk ewes prenatally exposed to testosterone (T) display an array of reproductive and metabolic dysfunctions similar to those seen in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), including insulin resistance. Moreover, prenatal T treatment alters neuropeptide expression in KNDy (co-expressing kisspeptin, neurokinin B/dynorphin) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the arcuate nucleus, two populations that play key roles in the control of reproduction and metabolism, respectively. In this study, we determined whether prenatal T treatment also altered insulin receptors in KNDy and AgRP neurons, as well as in pr

SUBMITTER: Cernea M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5067216 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature