NRG1-ErbB4 signaling in the medial amygdala controls mating motivation in adult male mice
Jie Huang,
Yan-Yan Zhang,
Yu-Yang Qiu,
Shan Yao,
Wan-Ting Qiu,
Jin-Lin Peng,
Yuan-Quan Li,
Qiang-Long You,
Cui-Hong Wu,
Er-Jian Wu,
Jin Wang,
Yan-Ling Zhou,
Yu-Ping Ning,
Hong-Sheng Wang,
Wen-Bing Chen,
Bing-Jie Hu,
Youtan Liu,
Xiang-Dong Sun
Affiliations
Jie Huang
Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
Yan-Yan Zhang
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Yu-Yang Qiu
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Shan Yao
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Wan-Ting Qiu
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Jin-Lin Peng
Guangzhou Medical University-Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health (GMU-GIBH) Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Yuan-Quan Li
Department of Neurology, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
Qiang-Long You
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Cui-Hong Wu
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Er-Jian Wu
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Jin Wang
Department of Physiology, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China
Yan-Ling Zhou
Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Yu-Ping Ning
Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Hong-Sheng Wang
Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Songjiang District Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Wen-Bing Chen
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Bing-Jie Hu
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Corresponding author
Youtan Liu
Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China; Corresponding author
Xiang-Dong Sun
Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Motivation-driven mating is a basic affair for the maintenance of species. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that control mating motivation are not fully understood. Here, we report that NRG1-ErbB4 signaling in the medial amygdala (MeA) is pivotal in regulating mating motivation. NRG1 expression in the MeA negatively correlates with the mating motivation levels in adult male mice. Local injection and knockdown of MeA NRG1 reduce and promote mating motivation, respectively. Consistently, knockdown of MeA ErbB4, a major receptor for NRG1, and genetic inactivation of its kinase both promote mating motivation. ErbB4 deletion decreases neuronal excitability, whereas chemogenetic manipulations of ErbB4-positive neuronal activities bidirectionally modulate mating motivation. We also identify that the effects of NRG1-ErbB4 signaling on neuronal excitability and mating motivation rely on hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 3. This study reveals a critical molecular mechanism for regulating mating motivation in adult male mice.
