Estrogen regulates the development of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein in the rat hippocampus.

ABSTRACT: During development, estrogen has a variety of effects on morphological and electrophysiological properties of hippocampal neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also plays an important role in the survival and differentiation of neurons during development. We examined the effects of gonadectomy with and without estrogen replacement on the mRNA and protein of BDNF and its receptor, trkB, during early postnatal development of the rat hippocampus. We used immunocytochemistry to demonstrate that estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and BDNF were localized to the same cells within the developing hippocampus. BDNF and ERalpha were colocalized in pyramidal cells of the CA3 subregion and to a lesser extent in CA1. To determine whether BDNF mRNA was regulated by estrogen during development,

SUBMITTER: Solum DT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6758321 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature