Abstract
Pigs have three CYP19 genes encoding functional paralogues of aromatase cytochrome P450 expressed tissue specifically in the gonads/hypothalamus, placenta, and preimplantation blastocyst. Gene duplication is predicted to have relaxed selection pressure and allowed evolution of enzyme function. All isozymes catalyze estrogen synthesis. However, the "gonadal/ hypothalamic" form (ghP450arom) is unique among mammalian aromatases in also synthesizing a nonaromatizable, biopotent testosterone metabolite, 1OH-testosterone (1OH-T) that is hypothesized to have promoted increased ovulation rate and litter size. High ghP450arom expression in porcine testis facilitates study of differential regulation in hypothalamus and gonads that is not possible in other species. These, the first such studies in pig brain, demonstrate unusual aspects of P450arom expression and regulation in the hypothalamus, offering promise of gaining better insight into roles of P450arom in reproductive function.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Brain Aromatase, Estrogens, and Behavior |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
ISBN (Print) | 9780199979837, 9780199841196 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 24 2013 |
Keywords
- Aromatase
- Domestic pig
- Evolution
- Gene duplication
- Gonads
- Hypothalamus
- Placenta
- Reproductive function
- Suiforme
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)