Temple Jennifer L, Scordalakes Elka M, Bodo Cristian, Gustafsson Jan Ake, Rissman Emilie F
Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology Section, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892-4156, USA.
Horm Behav. 2003 Dec;44(5):427-34. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2003.09.002.
The estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta) mediates estrogen action in the female gonads, reproductive tract, and central nervous system. In addition, in rats and mice, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH-I) neurons coexpress ERbeta. Here we asked if ERbeta plays a role in the onset of puberty and in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis function in male mice. We examined mating behavior, testosterone concentrations, steroid negative feedback on gonadotropins, and GnRH-I function in male ERbeta knockout (ERbetaKO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Peripubertal ERbetaKO males displayed their first ejaculation at a significantly older age than WT littermates. Castrated, adult ERbetaKO mice had significantly higher plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) than WT counterparts. Estradiol (E2) treatment reduced LH and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations to an equivalent degree in castrates of both genotypes. In three different measures of the adult GnRH-I system, no genotypic differences were observed. These data show that ERbeta plays an important role in the timing of male sexual behavior at puberty, but does not appear to be involved in adult HPG axis functioning. Furthermore, our data suggest that a primary role of ERbeta may be to regulate ejaculatory behavior.
雌激素受体β（ERβ）介导雌激素在雌性性腺、生殖道和中枢神经系统中的作用。此外，在大鼠和小鼠中，促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH-I）神经元共表达ERβ。在此，我们探究了ERβ在雄性小鼠青春期启动以及下丘脑-垂体-性腺（HPG）轴功能中是否发挥作用。我们检测了雄性ERβ基因敲除（ERβKO）小鼠和野生型（WT）小鼠的交配行为、睾酮浓度、类固醇对促性腺激素的负反馈以及GnRH-I功能。青春期前后的ERβKO雄性小鼠首次射精的年龄明显大于同窝野生型小鼠。阉割后的成年ERβKO小鼠血浆促黄体生成素（LH）水平显著高于野生型小鼠。雌二醇（E2）处理使两种基因型阉割小鼠的LH和促卵泡生成素（FSH）浓度降低程度相当。在对成年GnRH-I系统的三种不同检测中，未观察到基因型差异。这些数据表明，ERβ在雄性青春期性行为的时间调控中起重要作用，但似乎不参与成年HPG轴的功能。此外，我们的数据表明ERβ的主要作用可能是调节射精行为。
