Functions and physiological roles of two types of estrogen receptors, ERalpha and ERbeta, identified by estrogen receptor knockout mouse.
- Author:
Hye Rim LEE
1
;
Tae Hee KIM
;
Kyung Chul CHOI
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Estrogen; estrogen receptors; knockout mice
- MeSH: Adipogenesis; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Cardiovascular System; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Estrogen Receptor beta; Estrogens; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Ovariectomy; Phenotype; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Receptors, Estrogen; Transcription Factors
- From:Laboratory Animal Research 2012;28(2):71-76
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Estrogens, a class of steroid hormones, regulate the growth, development, and physiology of the human reproductive system. Estrogens also involve in the neuroendocrine, skeletal, adipogenesis, and cardiovascular systems. Estrogen signaling pathways are selectively stimulated or inhibited depending on a balance between the activities of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha or ERbeta in target organs. ERs belong to the steroid hormone superfamily of nuclear receptors, which act as transcription factors after binding to estrogen. The gene expression regulation by ERs is to modulate biological activities, such as reproductive organ development, bone modeling, cardiovascular system functioning, metabolism, and behavior in both females and males. Understanding of the general physiological roles of ERs has been gained when estrogen levels were ablated by ovariectomy and then replenished by treatment with exogenous estrogen. This technique is not sufficient to fully determine the exact function of estrogen signaling in general processes in living tissues. However, a transgenic mouse model has been useful to study gene-specific functions. ERalpha and ERbeta have different biological functions, and knockout and transgenic animal models have distinct phenotypes. Analysis of ERalpha and ERbeta function using knockout mouse models has identified the roles of estrogen signaling in general physiologic processes. Although transgenic mouse models do not always produce consistent results, they are the useful for studying the functions of these genes under specific pathological conditions.
