This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. An understanding of how ovarian steroids alter the expression of female sexual behavior in rats can provide insight into the mechanisms of steroid function with potential therapeutic implications. The mechanisms by which steroids interact with intracellular receptors and the hormone response element in DNA to alter transcription have been described. Furthermore, there has been progress in identifying genes regulated by gonadal steroids. However, with few exceptions, the identification of proteins expressed in response to gonadal steroids remains elusive. We propose to investigate the effects of progesterone on the expression of proteins in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), a structure critical for the expression of female sexual behavior in the rat. Proteomics techniques directly measure protein expression that may not be predictable from changes in mRNA. Furthermore, proteomics measurements allow the assessment of multiple proteins that may capture changes in proteins on a network scale. Following the identification of proteins altered in response to progesterone in estrogen-primed rats, the potential role of these proteins in the regulation of sexual behavior will be tested by using RNA interference (RNAi) to locally knockdown specific proteins in the VMN and determining the effect of the knockdown on lordosis.
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