OR27-05 Two-pronged Mediation Of Adrenal Steroidogenesis By Oxytocin
Authors: Cheliadinova Uliana , Pevnev Georgii , Ryu Vitaly , Frolinger Tal , Lee Sims Steven , Ofer Moldavski , Korkmaz Funda , Barak Orly , Gimenez Roig Judit , Sultana Farhath , Kramskiy Natan , Wizman Soleii , Orloff Michelle , Yuen Tony , Lizneva Daria , Zaidi Mone , Gumerova Anisa 
Published: October 2023

Disclosure: U. Cheliadinova: None. G. Pevnev: None. V. Ryu: None. T. Frolinger: None. S.L. Sims: None. M. Ofer: None. F. Korkmaz: None. O. Barak: None. J. Gimenez Roig: None. F. Sultana: None. N. Kramskiy: None. S. Wizman: None. M. Orloff: None. T. Yuen: None. D. Lizneva: None. M. Zaidi: None. A. Gumerova: None.

Stress–stimulated glucocorticoid release affects diverse biological processes, including pregnancy and childbirth. The controversy surrounding effects of OXT on stress prompted us to investigate its actions on adrenal cortical function in mice. RNAscope and immunohistochemistry provided unequivocal evidence for abundant OXT receptor (OXTR) expression in the adrenal cortex, predominantly in zona fasciculata and zona reticularis. Female mice displayed higher adrenal cortical Oxtr expression, more than a range of other tissues under study. Oxtr expression was also detected in the adenohypophysis solely in female mice, while both male and female mice expressed Oxtr in the pars intermedia of the hypophysis. Aging impressively attenuated Oxtr expression in female mice in both the adrenal gland and adenohypophysis. For loss–of–function studies, we generated tissue–specific Star-CreERT2/Oxtrfl/fl mice in which the Oxtr was deleted from steroidogenic tissues, namely adrenals and ovaries. Deletion was confirmed by RNAscope and immunohistochemistry. We found no difference in serum corticosterone between tamoxifen–induced and uninduced mice; however, the elevation of serum corticosterone upon ACTH stimulation or after four weeks of stress was attenuated in tamoxifen–induced mice. Bulk RNAseq of adrenals from tamoxifen–induced mice revealed the downregulation of key steroidogenic genes, namely Cyp17a1, Hsd3b3, Hsd17b2, Cyp3a41b, and Serpina6 (a corticosteroid–binding globulin). In gain–of–function studies, a single OXT injection led to a rise of serum ACTH in tamoxifen–induced mice, which was greater in magnitude than uninduced controls. However, after five days of OXT injections, corticosterone levels became elevated, whereas ACTH levels declined to baseline. This suggests that OXT acts directly on OXTRs on corticotropes to initiate a stress–like response, with a negative feedback loop that inhibits further ACTH secretion. Of note is that male mice did not display any difference between tamoxifen–induced and uninduced groups, consistent with their low hypophyseal Oxtr expression. In all, we describe a novel gender–specific two–pronged circuit through which OXT may precisely regulates the production of corticosterone from the adrenal cortex. In the first arm, OXT directly stimulates ACTH secretion through adenohypophysis OXTRs. In the second arm, OXT prevents excessive stress–induced adrenal stimulation by downregulating steroidogenic genes. Our discovery lays the foundation for the emergence of new physiology that may relate to a fundamental role for oxytocin in the stress response during procreation, notably, when levels are elevated during pregnancy and lactation.

Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023