Fig. 4
5α reductase-1 regulates the central control of reproduction and pubertal timing. Srd5a1 mRNA levels were measured in A whole hypothalamus (n = 14), prefrontal cortex (n = 15, 14) and pituitary (n = 7) of control and DSS-treated mice or B preoptic area (POA: n = 6, 5) and arcuate nucleus (ARC: n = 6, 5) of the hypothalamus, and the cerebellum (CB: n = 6). C Srd5a1 mRNA levels in the ovary (n = 8) and whole hypothalamus (n = 4, 5) of female off-spring of DSS-treated mice and their littermate controls. D The mRNA levels of genes encoding reproductive regulatory factors were measured in the whole hypothalamus of the DSS-treated and control mice, with Fkbp5 as an indicator for stress (n = 7 or 8). E, F The effect of 5α reductase inhibitor, dutasteride in GT1-7 GnRH neuronal cells on E gene expression (n = 4 or 3) and F GnRH release, in which some cells were also exposed to the GABAAR agonist, muscimol, alone (n = 2), with dutasteride (n = 7) or together with allopregnanolone (AP) (n = 3), all in the presence of AP precursor, P4 (for NT n = 7, for dutasteride alone n = 3). G Age of VO following dutasteride: female mice and their control littermates were given dutasteride (or vehicle) in the diet each day after weaning, and checked daily for VO (n = 6). For all, significant differences are shown for comparisons with control mice or untreated cells, otherwise P > 0.05