Pattern of aromatase mRNA expression in the brain of a weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Aromatase is a steroidogenic enzyme involved in the conversion of testosterone into estradiol. Teleosts are unique among vertebrates in possessing two distinct aromatase genes that show different expression patterns within the body. Since the brain is the essential organ underlying the control of behavior, an understanding of the expression pattern of aromatase in the brain can help to identify neural circuits and behaviors that are most likely to be affected by aromatase activity. In addition, identifying species differences in aromatase expression in the brain can further our understanding of divergence in behaviors regulated by local estradiol production and estrogen signaling. Apteronotus leptorhynchus is a species of weakly electric fish in which little is known about sex steroid expression within the brain and its role in electric signaling behavior. The goal of this study was to identify the mRNA expression pattern of aromatase in the brain of A. leptorhynchus. Aromatase mRNA was detected in several parts of the forebrain and in the pituitary gland; however, no aromatase expression was detected in the midbrain or hindbrain. These findings in A. leptorhynchus support a role for aromatase activity in reproduction, but no direct role in electric signaling behavior in non-breeding fish. The findings of this study help to broaden the basis for making phylogenetic comparisons of aromatase expression across teleost lineages as well as different signaling systems, and provide information on behaviors and neural circuits that are potentially affected by local estradiol production in A. leptorhynchus.