Promoter methylation analysis in rat Pubertal Hypothalamus

Promoter methylation analysis of hypothalamc DNA from female rats at different juvenile developmental reproductive stages. Results provide insight into the role of the hypothalamus in controlling the onset of puberty. SD rats were housed (4/cage) in a controlled environment and euthanized at different ages (Early Juvenile: 21 days, Late Juvenile: 28 days, Late Proestus (the day of first ovulation): 31 days. Rats were anesthetized and brains were rapidly removed. The hypothalamus was dissected away from the rest of the brain and flash frozen. Total RNA and DNA was isolated from each sample using AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit-Qiagen (Valencia, CA).