N-glycosylation is a posttranslational modification that plays significant roles in regulating protein function. One form of N-glycosylation, polysialylation, has been implicated in many processes including learning and memory, addiction, and neurodegenerative disease. Polysialylation appears to be modulated by the estrous cycle in the hypothalamus in rat, but this has not been assessed in other brain regions. To determine if polysialylation was similarly estrous phase-dependent in other neuroanatomical structures, the percent area of polysialic acid (PSA) immunoreactivity in subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens was assessed in each of the four phases in adult female mice. In this study, we found that PSA immunoreactivity fluctuated across the estrous cycle in a subregion-specific manner. In the prefrontal cortex, PSA immunoreactivity was significantly lower in proestrus phase compared to estrus in the prelimbic cortex, but did not differ across the estrous cycle in the infralimbic cortex. In the hippocampus, PSA immunoreactivity was significantly increased in proestrus compared to metestrus in the CA1 and CA2 and compared to diestrus in CA3, but remain unchanged in the dentate gyrus. PSA immunoreactivity did not vary across the estrous cycle in the nucleus accumbens core or shell. These findings may have implications for estrous cycle-dependent alterations in behavior.

N-糖基化是一种翻译后修饰，在调节蛋白质功能方面起着重要作用。N-糖基化的一种形式，即多唾液酸化，与许多过程有关，包括学习和记忆、成瘾和神经退行性疾病。多唾液酸化似乎受大鼠下丘脑发情周期的调节，但尚未在其他大脑区域进行评估。为了确定多唾液酸化在其他神经解剖结构中是否具有类似的发情期依赖性，在成年雌性小鼠的四个阶段中的每个阶段评估了内侧前额叶皮层、海马和伏隔核亚区域的多聚唾液酸 (PSA) 免疫反应的百分比面积. 在这项研究中，我们发现 PSA 免疫反应性在整个发情周期中以特定于亚区域的方式波动。在前额叶皮层，与前缘皮层的发情相比，发情前期的 PSA 免疫反应性显着较低，但在下缘皮层的整个发情周期中没有差异。在海马中，与 CA1 和 CA2 中的 metestrus 相比以及 CA3 中的间情相比，发情前的 PSA 免疫反应性显着增加，但在齿状回中保持不变。PSA 免疫反应性在伏隔核核或壳的整个发情周期中没有变化。这些发现可能对依赖发情周期的行为改变有影响。与 CA1 和 CA2 中的动情相比，以及 CA3 中的间情相比，发情前的 PSA 免疫反应性显着增加，但在齿状回中保持不变。PSA 免疫反应性在伏隔核核或壳的整个发情周期中没有变化。这些发现可能对依赖发情周期的行为改变有影响。与 CA1 和 CA2 中的动情相比，以及 CA3 中的间情相比，发情前的 PSA 免疫反应性显着增加，但在齿状回中保持不变。PSA 免疫反应性在伏隔核核或壳的整个发情周期中没有变化。这些发现可能对依赖发情周期的行为改变有影响。