Yague Josue G, Lavaque Esteban, Carretero Jose, Azcoitia Iñigo, Garcia-Segura Luis M
Instituto Cajal, C.S.I.C., Avenida Doctor Arce 37, E-28002 Madrid, Spain.
Neurosci Lett. 2004 Sep 30;368(3):279-84. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.07.010.
The biosynthesis of estradiol and related estrogens is catalyzed by the enzyme aromatase. Among other tissues, aromatase is expressed in the brain, where it is involved in the regulation of neuroendocrine events and reproduction. Under physiological conditions, the expression of aromatase in the mammalian brain is restricted to neurons. However, recent studies have shown that reactive astrocytes express aromatase after brain injury. This opens the possibility for the expression of the enzyme in other altered forms of glial cell, such as gliomas. In the present study, the expression of aromatase has been assessed, by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry, in the rat glioblastoma C6 and in two human glioblastoma cell lines T98G and U373MG. The three cell lines expressed aromatase mRNA and showed a cytoplasmic pattern of aromatase immunoreactivity. In addition, the three cell lines express estrogen receptor alpha, suggesting that estradiol formed by aromatase may act as an autocrine or paracrine factor for glioblastoma cells. By analogy to the implication of aromatase into the growth of other forms of estrogen-sensitive tumors, such as some breast cancers, it is conceivable that the expression of aromatase may play a role in the growth of glioblastomas.
雌二醇及相关雌激素的生物合成由芳香化酶催化。在其他组织中，芳香化酶在大脑中表达，参与神经内分泌活动和生殖的调节。在生理条件下，哺乳动物大脑中芳香化酶的表达仅限于神经元。然而，最近的研究表明，反应性星形胶质细胞在脑损伤后会表达芳香化酶。这为该酶在其他改变形式的胶质细胞（如胶质瘤）中的表达提供了可能性。在本研究中，通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）和免疫细胞化学方法，评估了大鼠胶质母细胞瘤C6以及两个人类胶质母细胞瘤细胞系T98G和U373MG中芳香化酶的表达。这三个细胞系均表达芳香化酶信使核糖核酸（mRNA），并呈现出芳香化酶免疫反应性的细胞质模式。此外，这三个细胞系均表达雌激素受体α，表明由芳香化酶形成的雌二醇可能作为胶质母细胞瘤细胞的自分泌或旁分泌因子发挥作用。类似于芳香化酶在其他形式的雌激素敏感性肿瘤（如某些乳腺癌）生长中的作用，可以推测芳香化酶的表达可能在胶质母细胞瘤的生长中发挥作用。
