A Corticosteroid Receptor in Neuronal Membranes

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 252; no. 5014; pp. 1848 - 1851
• Main Authors: Orchinik, Miles, Murray, Thomas F., Moore, Frank L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 28.06.1991; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adrenal cortex hormones; Adrenocortical hormones; Amphibians; Animal sexual behavior; Animals; Autoradiography; Binding sites; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - metabolism; Cell Fractionation; Cell Membrane; Cell receptors; Cell structures and functions; Corticosteroids; corticosterone; Corticosterone - metabolism; Corticosterone - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hormone receptors; Hormone receptors. Growth factor receptors. Cytokine receptors. Prostaglandin receptors; Hormones; Kinetics; Ligands; Male; Mating behavior; membrane proteins; Mitochondria; Molecular and cellular biology; Nervous system; Neurons; Neurons - metabolism; neuropil; P branes; Physiological aspects; Receptors; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - metabolism; Sexual behavior in animals; Sexual Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Steroid hormones; Steroid receptors; Steroids; Synapses; Synaptosomes - metabolism; Tritium; Corticosteroid; Brain; Vertebrata; Neuron; Radiolabelling; Steroid hormone; Synaptic membrane; Central nervous system; Amphibia; Binding site; Hormonal receptor
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.2063198

Steroids may rapidly alter neuronal function and behavior through poorly characterized, direct actions on neuronal membranes. The membrane-bound receptors mediating these behavioral responses have not been identified. [$^3$H]Corticosterone labels a population of specific, high-affinity recognition sites (dissociation constant = 0.51 nanomolar) in synaptic membranes from an amphibian brain. These binding sites were localized by receptor autoradiography in the neuropil, outside the regions of perikarya. The affinities of corticoids for this [$^3$H]corticosterone binding site were linearly related to their potencies in rapidly suppressing male reproductive behavior. Thus, it appears that brain membranes contain a corticosteroid receptor that could participate in the regulation of behavior.