TY - JOUR
T1 - Expression of G protein-coupled receptor 30 in the spinal somatosensory system
AU - Takanami, Keiko
AU - Sakamoto, Hirotaka
AU - Matsuda, Ken Ichi
AU - Hosokawa, Koji
AU - Nishi, Mayumi
AU - Prossnitz, Eric R.
AU - Kawata, Mitsuhiro
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture and Technology, Japan (to H.S., K.-I.M. and M.K.).
PY - 2010/1/15
Y1 - 2010/1/15
N2 - Estrogens were originally identified as the primary sex steroid hormones in females and regulators of reproductive function and sexual behavior, but it has long been suggested that estrogens also have local effects on the somatosensory system at the spinal cord level. It is well known that the effects of estrogens are mediated by nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs) through genomic action, but recently a membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptor, GPR30, was identified as a non-genomic estrogen receptor. In this study we investigated the presence and localization of GPR30 in the rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in comparison with ERα. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we showed the expression of GPR30 in DRG neurons in male and female rats at mRNA and protein levels without specific sexual difference. A dense accumulation of GPR30 immunoreactivity was observed in the outer layer of the spinal dorsal horn, and selective spinal dorsal rhizotomy revealed that GPR30 was transported from the DRG to terminals located in the spinal dorsal horn. GPR30 expression was downregulated in DRG neurons of ovariectomized female rats. The spinal somatosensory system might be modulated by estradiol via putative membrane ER, GPR30-mediated mechanism.
AB - Estrogens were originally identified as the primary sex steroid hormones in females and regulators of reproductive function and sexual behavior, but it has long been suggested that estrogens also have local effects on the somatosensory system at the spinal cord level. It is well known that the effects of estrogens are mediated by nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs) through genomic action, but recently a membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptor, GPR30, was identified as a non-genomic estrogen receptor. In this study we investigated the presence and localization of GPR30 in the rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in comparison with ERα. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we showed the expression of GPR30 in DRG neurons in male and female rats at mRNA and protein levels without specific sexual difference. A dense accumulation of GPR30 immunoreactivity was observed in the outer layer of the spinal dorsal horn, and selective spinal dorsal rhizotomy revealed that GPR30 was transported from the DRG to terminals located in the spinal dorsal horn. GPR30 expression was downregulated in DRG neurons of ovariectomized female rats. The spinal somatosensory system might be modulated by estradiol via putative membrane ER, GPR30-mediated mechanism.
KW - Dorsal root ganglion
KW - Estrogen
KW - Estrogen receptor α
KW - GPR30
KW - Somatosensory neuron system
KW - Spinal cord
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U2 - 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.11.004
DO - 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.11.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 19912997
AN - SCOPUS:73149085492
VL - 1310
SP - 17
EP - 28
JO - Molecular Brain Research
JF - Molecular Brain Research
SN - 0006-8993
ER -