An androgen receptor in the brain of the green frog Rana esculenta

An androgen receptor (AR) has been detected in both the hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic area of the brain of the male of the green frog Rana esculenta. H-3-T binding activity was detected separately in the hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic areas. Experiments of binding assay showed H-3-T binding activity in the nuclear extract but not in the cytosol of both the hypothalamic and the extra-hypothalamic areas. The androgen binding moiety was not strictly specific for androgens, binding also 17beta-estradiol, although to a lesser extent. H-3-testosterone binding activity fluctuated in both the hypothalamic and the extra-hypothalamic areas throughout the reproductive cycle, and paralleled androgen plasma levels. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.