Taylor A H, Al-Azzawi F
The Gynaecology Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Biosciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK.
J Mol Endocrinol. 2000 Feb;24(1):145-55. doi: 10.1677/jme.0.0240145.
Oestrogens exert their actions via specific nuclear protein receptors that are members of the steroid/thyroid receptor superfamily of transcription factors. Recently, a second oestrogen receptor (ERbeta) has been cloned, and using reverse transcription-PCR and immunohistochemistry it has been shown to have a wide tissue distribution in the rat that is distinct from the classical oestrogen receptor, ERalpha. Using commercial polyclonal antisera against peptides specific to human ERbeta, we have determined the sites of ERbeta expression in archival and formalin-fixed human tissue and compared its expression with that of ERalpha. ERbeta was localised to the cell nuclei of a wide range of normal adult human tissues including ovary, Fallopian tube, uterus, lung, kidney, brain, heart, prostate and testis. In the ovary, ERbeta was present in multiple cell types including granulosa cells in small, medium and large follicles, theca and corpora lutea, whereas ERalpha was weakly expressed in the nuclei of granulosa cells, but not in the theca nor in the copora lutea. In the endometrium, both ERalpha and ERbeta were observed in luminal epithelial cells and in the nuclei of stromal cells but, significantly, ERbeta was weak or absent from endometrial glandular epithelia. Epithelial cells in most male tissues including the prostate, the urothelium and muscle layers of the bladder, and Sertoli cells in the testis, were also immunopositive for ERbeta. Significant ERbeta immunoreactivity was detected in most areas of the brain, with the exception of the hippocampus - a tissue that stained positively for ERalpha. In conclusion, the almost ubiquitous immunohistochemical localisation of ERbeta indicates that ERbeta may play a major role in the mediation of oestrogen action. The differential expression of ERalpha and ERbeta in some of these tissues suggests a more complex control mechanism in oestrogenic potential than originally envisioned.
雌激素通过特定的核蛋白受体发挥作用，这些受体是转录因子类固醇/甲状腺受体超家族的成员。最近，第二个雌激素受体（ERβ）已被克隆，通过逆转录聚合酶链反应和免疫组织化学方法显示，它在大鼠体内具有广泛的组织分布，与经典的雌激素受体ERα不同。使用针对人ERβ特异性肽段的商业多克隆抗血清，我们确定了ERβ在存档和福尔马林固定的人体组织中的表达位点，并将其表达与ERα的表达进行了比较。ERβ定位于多种正常成人组织的细胞核，包括卵巢、输卵管、子宫、肺、肾、脑、心脏、前列腺和睾丸。在卵巢中，ERβ存在于多种细胞类型中，包括小、中、大卵泡中的颗粒细胞、卵泡膜细胞和黄体，而ERα在颗粒细胞核中弱表达，但在卵泡膜细胞和黄体中不表达。在子宫内膜中，ERα和ERβ均在腔上皮细胞和基质细胞核中观察到，但值得注意的是，ERβ在子宫内膜腺上皮中弱表达或不表达。大多数男性组织中的上皮细胞，包括前列腺、膀胱的尿路上皮和肌肉层，以及睾丸中的支持细胞，ERβ免疫反应也呈阳性。在大脑的大多数区域检测到显著的ERβ免疫反应性，海马体除外——海马体对ERα染色呈阳性。总之，ERβ几乎无处不在的免疫组织化学定位表明，ERβ可能在雌激素作用的介导中起主要作用。这些组织中ERα和ERβ的差异表达表明，雌激素潜能的控制机制比最初设想的更为复杂。
