IS POLYSIALYLATED NEURAL CELL ADHESION MOLECULE (PSA-NCAM) REQUIRED FOR THE GnRH SURGE?
Billings, Heather1, Lehman, Michael1, Coolen, Lique1, Connors, John2, Hardy, Steven2, Breen, Kellie3, Rutishauser, Urs4, Goodman, Robert2, Karsch, Fred3, 1 Dept Cell Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH2 Physiology Dept, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV3 Dept Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI4 Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY ABSTRACT- During the estrous cycle, dynamic changes in the association of GnRH neuronal terminals with pituitary portal vessels in the median eminence (ME) may facilitate the GnRH surge. PSA-NCAM, a mediator of neuronal plasticity, is present along the external zone of the ME. Two experiments tested the role of PSA-NCAM in induction of the GnRH/LH surge. Exp 1 tested the hypothesis that the colocalization of GnRH fibers and PSA-NCAM changes during the GnRH/LH surge. Exp 2 tested the hypothesis that removing PSA-NCAM prevents the estradiol
