Membrane-Initiated Estradiol Signaling Induces Spinogenesis Required for Female Sexual Receptivity

Estrogens have profound actions on the structure of the nervous system during development and in adulthood. One of the signature actions of estradiol is to alter the morphology of neural processes. In the hippocampus, estradiol modulates spines and cellular excitability that affect cognitive behaviors. In the hypothalamus, estradiol increases spine density in mediobasal hypothalamic nuclei that regulate reproduction. The hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARH), an important site for modulation of female sexual receptivity, has a sexual dimorphism in dendritic spine density that favors females. In the present study, we used both beta-actin immunostaining and Golgi staining to visualize estradiol-induced changes in spine density in Long-Evans rats. Golgi impregnation was used to visualize spine shape, and then beta-actin immunoreactivity was used as a semiquantitative measure of spine plasticity since actin forms the core of dendritic spines. At 4 h after estradiol treatment, both beta-actin immunofluorescence and filopodial spines were increased (from 70.57 +/- 1.09% to 78.01 +/- 1.05%, p < 0.05). Disruption of estradiol-induced beta-actin polymerization with cytochalasin D attenuated lordosis behavior, indicating the importance of estradiol-mediated spinogenesis for female sexual receptivity (81.43 +/- 7.05 to 35.00 +/- 11.76, p < 0.05). Deactivation of cofilin, an actin depolymerizing factor is required for spinogenesis. Membrane-initiated estradiol signaling involving the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1a was responsible for the phosphorylation and thereby deactivation of cofilin. These data demonstrate that estradiol-induced spinogenesis in the ARH is an important cellular mechanism for the regulation of female sexual behavior.