Glucocorticoid Receptor and Beta-Adrenoceptor Expression in Epididymal Adipose Tissue from Stressed Rats

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1018; no. 1; pp. 328 - 332
• Main Authors: FARIAS-SILVA, ELISÂNGELA, DOS SANTOS, IRAÍDES NUNES, DO AMARAL, MARIA ESMÉRIA COREZOLA, GRASSI-KASSISSE, DORA MARIA, SPADARI-BRATFISCH, REGINA CELIA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2004
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Animals; corticosterone; Epididymis - metabolism; glucocorticoid receptor; Male; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta - metabolism; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - metabolism; stress; Stress, Physiological - metabolism; white adipose tissue; β-adrenoceptor
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1196/annals.1296.040

: Adipocytes isolated from epididymal adipose tissue of foot‐shock stressed rats are supersensitive to isoprenaline and subsensitive to norepinephrine. These alterations are probably mediated by a stress‐induced increase in plasma corticosterone levels. We investigated whether foot‐shock stress modifies the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and β‐adrenergic protein receptors (β‐ARs) in epididymal adipose tissue from rats submitted to one daily foot‐shock session on three consecutive days. This stress protocol caused decreases in GR, β1‐AR, and β3‐AR protein levels, but caused an increase in β2‐AR. These results confirm and support previous functional studies. The alterations in protein expression may be modulated by the high corticosterone levels that downregulate the glucocorticoid receptor.