This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.The mechanisms by which estrogen interacts with intracellular receptors and the hormone response element in DNA to alter transcription have been described. Furthermore, a number of genes regulated by estrogen have been identified. However, only a few proteins induced by estrogen have been identified. We propose to investigate the effects of estrogen on the expression of proteins in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, pars lateralis (VMNpl), a structure critical for the expression of female sexual behavior in the rat. The application of proteomic techniques to this problem will provide a direct and simultaneous determination of estrogen-induced protein expression. The identification of these proteins followed by database analysis of protein functions is predicted to detect protein changes on a network scale that can be tested for relevance to female sexual behavior using more targeted molecular approaches in future experiments. 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 with respect to depression.
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