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Steroid receptors and their regulation in avian extraembryonic membranes provide a novel substrate for hormone mediated maternal effects
- Source :
- Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2019), Scientific Reports, 9:11501. Nature Publishing Group, Scientific Reports
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Exposure of the vertebrate embryo to maternal hormones can have long-lasting effects on its phenotype, which has been studied extensively by experimentally manipulating maternal steroids, mostly androgens, in bird eggs. Yet, there is a severe lack of understanding of how and when these effects are actually mediated, hampering both underlying proximate and ultimate explanations. Here we report a novel finding that the embryo expresses androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ERĪ±) mRNA in its extraembryonic membranes (EMs) as early as before its own hormone production starts, suggesting a novel substrate for action of maternal hormones on the offspring. We also report the first experimental evidence for steroid receptor regulation in the avian embryo in response to yolk steroid levels: the level of AR is dependent on yolk androgen levels only in the EMs but not in body tissues, suggesting embryonic adaptation to maternal hormones. The results also solve the problem of uptake of lipophilic steroids from the yolk, why they affect multiple traits, and how they could mediate maternal effects without affecting embryonic sexual differentiation.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Receptors, Steroid
food.ingredient
Physiology
medicine.drug_class
Extraembryonic Membranes
Estrogen receptor
lcsh:Medicine
Chick Embryo
Biology
Article
Birds
CHICK-EMBRYO
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
food
Yolk
TESTOSTERONE
PITUITARY
Animal physiology
medicine
Animals
MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION
lcsh:Science
Testosterone
Multidisciplinary
Sexual differentiation
YOLK
lcsh:R
Maternal effect
ANDROGEN RECEPTOR
Androgen
Egg Yolk
Cell biology
GLUCOCORTICOID-RECEPTOR
Androgen receptor
ESTROGEN-RECEPTORS
030104 developmental biology
Maternal Exposure
embryonic structures
CHORIOALLANTOIC MEMBRANE
TARGET-CELLS
Female
Steroids
lcsh:Q
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Hormone
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20452322
- Volume :
- 9
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scientific Reports
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....036f92a967d15ceed761034409f0d1ff
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48001-x