Steroid Modulation of Sexual Receptivity
Sexual receptivity is induced by the activity of estradiol (the primary estrogen in the body) through complex mechanisms that involve multiple signaling strategies in the brain. Using a rodent model, we have identified specific endogenous opioid circuits in the area of the hypothalamus that are rapidly activated by estradiol to transiently inhibit sexual
Estradiol Membrane Signaling
The GPCR/MOR internalization assay has allowed us to dissect the signaling pathways activated by estradiol. For example, in the arcuate nucleus, estradiol acts on a membrane estrogen receptor-α (ERα) to transactivate a metabotropic glutamate receptor, which phosphorylates a protein kinase-θ dependent signaling cascade responsible for lordosis circuit
Neuronal Plasticity
Estradiol also remodels the connectivity of the nuclei of the lordosis regulating circuitry. In the arcuate nucleus, estradiol induces dendritic spines, which are critical for estradiol-induced lordosis behavior. The initial spinogenesis is mediated by the stimulation of membrane estrogen receptors that deactivate (phosphorylate) an actin depolymerizing
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