Colocalization of arginine-vasotocin and chicken luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-I (cLHRH-I) in the preoptic–hypothalamic region of the chicken

To characterize a possible relationship between chicken luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-I (cLHRH-I) and arginine-vasotocin (AVT) we performed immunocytochemical double-stainings throughout the preoptic–hypothalamic region of the chicken brain. This study clearly reveals a partial colocalization between both neuropeptides. Single-labeled neurons, containing either cLHRH-I or AVT are found intermingled with double stained cells, immunoreactive (ir) for both peptides. A significant number of double-labeled perikarya is found in the preoptic area, more specifically in the ventral and external portion of the supraoptic nucleus (SOv and SOe) and in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPOv). At the level of the anterior hypothalamus, double-labeled cells are predominantly observed near the third ventricle in the nucleus paraventricularis magnocellularis (PVN) and the nucleus periventricularis hypothalami (PHN). Next to this colocalization, a number of cLHRH-I-ir cell bodies are found in close apposition to AVT-ir fiber profiles in the very same areas. Taken together, these data are the first to provide morphological evidence indicating that the AVT system might be involved in the regulation of cLHRH-I release and thus of reproductive functions in birds.