Testosterone metabolism in the avian hypothalamus
Abstract
Many central actions of testosterone (T) require the transformation of T into several metabolites including 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5 alpha-DHT) and estradiol (E2). In birds as in mammals, 5 alpha-DHT and E2, alone or in combination, mimic most behavioral effects of T. The avian brain is, in addition, able to transform T into 5 beta-DHT, a metabolite which seems to be devoid of any behavioral or physiological effects, at least in the context of reproduction. By in vitro product-formation assays, we have analyzed the distribution, sex differences and regulation by steroids of the 3 main T metabolizing enzymes (aromatase, 5 alpha- and 5 beta-reductases) in the brain of the Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica) and the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis). In the hypothalamus of quail and finches, aromatase activity is higher in males than in females. It is also decreased by castration and increased by T. The activity of the 5 alpha-reductase is not sexually differentiated nor controlled by T. The 5 beta-reductase activity is often higher in females than in males but this difference disappears in gonadectomized birds and no clear effect of T can be observed at this level. The zebra finch brain also contains a number of steroid-sensitive telencephalic nuclei [e.g. hyperstriatum ventrale, pars caudale (HVc) and robustus archistriatalis (RA)] which play a key role in the control of vocalizations. These nuclei also contain T-metabolizing enzymes but the regulation of…
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