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¹ Comparative Neuroanatomy and Cytology Laboratory and ² Pharmaco-Biology Department, University of Calabria, 87030 Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy ³ Dermatology Department, ‘La Sapienza’ University of Rome, Piazza Aldo Moro, 00166 Rome, Italy

(Correspondence should be addressed to M Canonaco; Email: canonaco{at}unical.it)

The authors declare that no conflict of interest that would prejudice its impartiality in part or as whole.

The isolation of the G-protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), an orphan membrane receptor unrelated to nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs), has become a key factor towards the unraveling of rapid estrogen action. This membrane receptor together with cellular signaling intermediaries, i.e., extracellular signal-dependent kinases 1 and 2, may promote neuronal proliferation and differentiation activities. In the present study, an evident gene expression pattern of GPR30 characterized postnatal 7 (young) and 60 (adult) days of age hamsters as shown by its heterogeneous mRNA distribution in hypothalamic, amygdalar and cerebellar areas of both sexes. In particular, most of the brain areas considered in the adult hamster plus only the amygdala and cerebellum of young animals behaved in a sexually dimorphic fashion. This similar pattern was also detected for the ER and β, as shown by the latter receptor prevailing in young and adult females, while the former predominated in young females. Even for the two kinases, a sexually dimorphic distribution was featured above all for young hamsters. Overall, the findings of the present study established a distinct expression pattern of the novel ER (GPR30) that may operate differently in some brain areas of the hamster and this may provide interesting insights regarding its probable neuroprotective role during the execution of some hibernating states, which are typical of our rodent model.