Fig. 6

Hormonal biosynthetic pathway activity upon EAE. A The expression levels of key enzymes for hormonal biosynthesis were analyzed by qRT-PCR in the adrenal glands from EAE and control mice at 20 dpi. The levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 11A1 (Cyp11a1) and cytochrome P450 11B1 (Cyp11b1) are increased in EAE mice compared to controls. No differences were found in the levels of steroid 5 alpha-reductase 2 (Srd5a2), cytochrome P450 17A1 (Cyp17a1), cytochrome P450 11B2 (Cyp11b2), and cytochrome P450 19A1 (Cyp19a1). B Expression analysis of the same enzymes in the ovaries. The levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 17A1 (Cyp17a1) and cytochrome P450 19A1 (Cyp19a1) are increased in EAE mice. No differences were found in the expression levels of 17-beta dehydrogenase 1 (Hsd17b1), cytochrome P450 11A1 (Cyp11a1), and steroid 5 alpha-reductase 2 (Srd5a2). C Expression analysis for enzymes involved in thyroid hormonal biosynthesis. No differences were detected in the levels of hyroglobulin (Tg), thyroid peroxidase (Tpo), forkhead box protein E1 (Foxe1), and NK2 homeobox 1 (Nkx2-1). The data are expressed as log2 transformed fold change (log2FC) and plotted as means ± SEM. Differences between experimental groups (N = 5 per group from one EAE immunization) were assessed by two-tailed Student’s t-test. *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01; ***P ≤ 0.005