AIMTo observed the expression of estrogen receptor (ER alpha and ER beta) in the heart of Gekko swinhonis.

METHODSThe immunohistochemical technique for the estrogen receptor was used.

RESULTSThe positive ER alpha and beta cells existed in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts of the atria and the ventricles of Gekko swinhonis and had no sexual difference. The difference of ER alpha between the atria (11.56 +/- 1.67) and ventricles (6.68 +/- 1.88) was observed in both sexes (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe atria are probably the main target tissue of estrogen through ER alpha pathway while some functions of whole heart will be regulated by estrogen through ER beta pathway. The sexual differences aren' t related to the content of ER. It may be involved in the state of activity and function of ER under the physiological conditions.

Animals ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; metabolism ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lizards ; physiology ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism

Estrogen plays an important role in the regulation of male reproduction. Through binding with the estrogen receptor (ER), estrogen produces genomic and non-genomic effects. Estrogen receptors include ERalpha and ERbeta which distribute in the male reproductive system including the testis, epididymis, prostate and penis. The spermatogenesis is impaired in mice with ERalpha gene knockout; however, it remains normal in mice with ERbeta gene knockout. This phenomenon suggests that the two subtypes of ER play different roles in spermatogenesis. Moreover, ERalpha or ERbeta may also act as a substitute of another.
Animals ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; metabolism ; Genitalia, Male ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism

OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) on the regulation of the proliferation of condylar chondrocytes and provide a preliminary discussion on the role of phosphorylate-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) in this regulatory process. METHODS: Condylar chondrocytes were isolated from 6-week-old female rats for primary culture. Drug treatment with different concentrations of E2 and/or rapamycin (RAPA) was carried out on second-generation cells. Cell Counting Kit 8 was used to measure the cell viability of condylar chondrocytes after culture for 24, 48, or 72 h, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to detect the relative gene expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), collagen type Ⅱ (COLⅡ), autophagy-related gene 6 (Beclin-1), and autophagy-related gene 5 (ATG-5). Western blot was employed to determine the relative protein expression of ERα, ERβ, Beclin-1, lipid-modified light chain 3B (LC3-Ⅱ), and p-mTOR. RESULTS: E2 could significantly promote the proliferation of chondrocytes cultured CONCLUSIONS At a concentration of 10
Animals ; Autophagy ; Cell Proliferation ; Chondrocytes ; Estradiol ; Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism* ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; Female ; Phosphorylation ; Rats

OBJECTIVETo observe the statuses of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta in the pelvic floor and its relation with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

METHODSThe ERa and ERP in levator ani muscle and pelvic floor structure of premenopausal and postmenopausal SUI patients were detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.

RESULTSThe positive biopsy rates in the premenopausal and postmenopausal SUI groups were 11% and 0, and the corresponding results in the control group were 35% and 33%. No ERalpha and ERbeta expression was detected in the levator ani muscle. ERalpha and ERbeta located in pelvic fasia tissue around the levator ani muscle. ERbeta was negatively stained in some segments of pelvic fasia tissue. The positive expression rates of ERbeta in the pelvic fasia tissue of premenopausal and postmenopausal SUI group were 57% and 33%, which were significantly lower than those in the control groups (P < 0.05). The positive expression rate of ERP in the pelvic fascia was significantly lower in postmenopausal group than in the premenopausal group (P < 0.05). The positive expression rates of ERa in the pelvic fasia tissue in the premenopausal and postmenopausal SUI groups were (4.43 +/- 2.64)% and (5.14 +/- 1.79)%, which were significantly lower than (9.61 +/- 5.48)% and (10.88 +/- 2.90)% in control group (P < 0.05). Western blot showed that ERbeta expression in pelvic fasia tissue was less than the expressions of ERalpha, ERalpha and ERbeta in the SUI group was also lower than that of the control group.

CONCLUSIONERalpha and ERbeta do not express in the levator ani muscle of women. Pathogenesis of premenopausal SUI correlates with lower serum estrodiol level and the expression of ER correlates SUI.

Estrogen Receptor alpha ; biosynthesis ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; biosynthesis ; Female ; Humans ; Pelvic Floor ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause ; Urinary Incontinence, Stress ; metabolism

Estrogen participates in many life activities through combination with estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) or estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in the body. In order to establish an in vitro estrogen-like compound screening model, the coding region of human ERalpha and ERbeta was separately constructed into pET32-ERalpha and pET43-ERbeta prokaryotic expression vector and water-soluble recombinant ERalpha and ERbeta proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21. Western blotting revealed that both recombinant proteins have estrogen receptor binding sites. The proteins were purified using S-Tag affinity Purification Kit and digested with enterokinase to get the ERalpha and ERbeta proteins. About 0.90 mg of ERalpha and 0.65 mg of ERbeta were obtained at the concentration of 0.181 and 0.131 mg x mL(-1), respectively.
Binding Sites ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Protein Binding ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Gender difference in the incidence of colorectal cancer is well known and has been supported by various epidemiologic studies. In Korea, women have lower incidence of colorectal cancer and adenoma, and the incidence in men has recently increased. Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women is preventive of colorectal cancer but can cause cardiovascular diseases and breast cancer. Estrogen exerts diverse effects through estrogen receptors, ERalpha and ERbeta. ERbeta is associated with anti-proliferation and apoptosis. The ratio of ERalpha/ERbeta is important in the protection and tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer. Therefore ERbeta modulation has been investigated for preventing or treating colorectal cancer and avoiding adverse effects of estrogen at the same time. In addition, the gender-difference in the incidence of colorectal cancer should be taken into account when making guidelines on colorectal surveillance for Korean population.
Adenoma/diagnosis/epidemiology/mortality ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/epidemiology/mortality ; Estradiol Dehydrogenases/metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta/metabolism ; Estrogens/*metabolism ; Humans ; Sex Factors

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of different concentrations of nylestriol (NYL) and levonorgestrel (LNG) on the expression of ERα and ERβ in human osteoscarcoma MG-63 cell lines, and to explore the impact of paracrine effect on the gene expression. METHODS: MG-63 cells were treated with 3 concentrations (10(-10),10(-8), and 10(-6) mol/L) of NYL or LNG. The untreated control group and the positive control group were also established. The 2 groups treated with NYL (10(-10) mol/L) or LNG (10(-8) mol/L) were designed to renew the medium every 12 h. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was conducted to detect the mRNA expression of ERα and ERβ on the MG-63 cells treated with different concentrations of the 2 drugs, respectively. RESULTS: Both drugs up-regulated ERα and ERβ mRNA expression. The best concentration for both NYL and LNG was 10(-6) mol/L for ERα expression. As for ERβ, the best concentration of NYL and LNG was 10(-10) mol/L and 10(-8) mol/L. The role of medium replacement on the expression of ERα was not observed, but medium replacement inhibited ERβ expression. CONCLUSION Both NYL and LNG can up-regulate the mRNA expression of ER subtypes in MG-63 cells, with mutual restriction between the 2 subtypes. The paracrine effect on MG-63 cell lines may be involved in the regulation process of mRNA expression of ERβ.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Levonorgestrel ; pharmacology ; Osteosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Quinestrol ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism

AIMTo observe the expression of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in human tongue squamous cancer line Tca8113 cell, and to study the influence of beta-estradiol (beta-E2) on the proliferation and cell cycle of cultured Tca8113 cell.

METHODSImmunocytochemistry and RT-PCR methods were used to observe the expression of estrogen receptors (ER) in human tongue squamous carcinoma line Tca8113 cell. 3H-TdR incorporation and cell cycle analysis were used to examine the change of proliferation and DNA synthesis of Tca8113 cell.

RESULTSER-alpha and ER-beta mRNA were expressed in human tongue squamous cancer cell, and the expression of ER-beta was weaker than that of ER-alpha. beta-Estradiol at 10(-8) mol/L - 10(-6) mol/L could increase the proliferation of human tongue squamous carcinoma cell in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.01). beta-E2 (10(-6) mol/L) could increase the proportion of cells in S phase and G2 phase from 23.5% up to 37.7%. The effect of estradiol on the proliferation of cultured human tongue squamous cancer line Tca8113 cell could be inhibited by Tamoxifen.

CONCLUSIONThere are ER-alpha and ER-beta expression in human tongue squamous cancer line Tca8113 cell, and beta-estradiol promotes the proliferation and cell cycle of cultured human Tca8113 cell.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; metabolism ; Humans ; Tamoxifen ; pharmacology ; Tongue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo determine the expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta) in prostatic carcinoma (PCa).

METHODSThe expression of ERalpha and ERbeta was analysed in 32 cases of PCa, 12 cases of normal prostate tissue and 32 cases of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the genes were sequenced.

RESULTSCompared with the tissue of BPH, the ERalpha expression significantly increased, but the ERbeta expression decreased in the tissue of PCa (P < 0.01). Compared with in the early stage and high differentiation of prostatic carcinoma, the ERalpha expression increased obviously, but ERbeta expression decreased in the developed stage and low differentiation (P < 0.01). ERalpha increased, but ERbeta decreased in hormone-refractory prostatic carcinoma (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONERalpha and ERbeta may play an important role in the development of PCa. It is shown that analysis of the expression of ER, especially ERbeta in PCa, will benefit to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Aged ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; biosynthesis ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; biosynthesis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of low-dose exogenous estrogen nonylphenol (NP) on the proliferation of human prostate cancer cell lines DU-145 and the expression of the membrane estrogen receptor GPR30 in the DU-145 cells.

METHODSWe exposed DU-145 cells to different concentrations of NP for 24 hours, followed by measurement of the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the cells by cell proliferation assay and determination of the concentration of exposure to low-dose NP. We also observed the expressions of 3 estrogen receptors (ER), including ER-alpha, ER-beta and membrane estrogen receptor GPR30, in the DU-145 cells exposed to low-dose NP by RT-PCR.

RESULTSCell proliferation assay showed that within a certain range of doses, NP inhibited the proliferation of the DU-145 cells with an IC50 of 46 micromol/L, a much lower dose of NP than IC50, 0.01, 0.1.1 micromol/l NP, that can promote the proliferation of DU-145 cells. The results of RT-PCR indicated that the expressions of the three ERs in the DU-145 cells were similar to those in prostate epithelial cells, and that low-dose NP promoted the expression of GPR30.

CONCLUSIONMembrane estrogen receptor GPR30 may play a role in low-dose NP promoting the proliferation of DU-145 cells.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; metabolism ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Male ; Phenols ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction