Carpino Amalia, Rago Vittoria, Pezzi Vincenzo, Carani Cesare, Andò Sebastiano
Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata Di Rende, Italy.
Eur J Endocrinol. 2007 Aug;157(2):239-44. doi: 10.1530/EJE-07-0029.
A Leydig cell tumor is a rare neoplasm, deriving from the interstitial cells, whose pathogenesis has not been still defined. Leydig cells of normal adult testis are known as physiological targets for estrogens. However, some studies on transgenic rodents suggest a role of estrogens in the development of Leydig cell hyperplasia and Leydig cell tumor. Therefore, with the aim to evaluate a possible link between estrogens and testicular tumorigenesis, this study investigated the expression of aromatase and estrogen receptors (ERalpha, ERbeta(1), ERbeta(2)) in testes from two patients with Leydig cell tumor. A strong immunoreactivity for aromatase, ERbeta(1), and ERbeta(2), together with a detectable ERalpha immunostaining, was revealed in tumoral tissues. These findings were confirmed by western blot analysis of tumor extracts detecting a 55 kDa P450arom, a 67 kDa ERalpha band, a 59 kDa ERbeta(1) band, and a 53 kDa ERbeta(2) band. The pattern of ER expression in neoplastic cells appears different from that of control Leydig cells exhibiting only ERbeta(1) and ERbeta(2) isoforms. The authors hypothesize how the high estrogen production could play a role in the neoplastic transformation of Leydig cells, while the exclusive presence of ERalpha in tumoral cells could amplify estradiol-17beta signaling contributing to the tumor cell growth and progression.
睾丸间质细胞瘤是一种罕见的肿瘤，起源于间质细胞，其发病机制尚未明确。正常成年睾丸的间质细胞是已知的雌激素生理靶细胞。然而，一些对转基因啮齿动物的研究表明，雌激素在间质细胞增生和间质细胞瘤的发生中起作用。因此，为了评估雌激素与睾丸肿瘤发生之间可能存在的联系，本研究调查了两名间质细胞瘤患者睾丸中芳香化酶和雌激素受体（ERα、ERβ(1)、ERβ(2)）的表达。在肿瘤组织中发现了芳香化酶、ERβ(1)和ERβ(2)的强免疫反应性，同时还检测到了可检测到的ERα免疫染色。通过对肿瘤提取物的蛋白质印迹分析证实了这些发现，检测到一条55 kDa的P450arom条带、一条67 kDa的ERα条带、一条59 kDa的ERβ(1)条带和一条53 kDa的ERβ(2)条带。肿瘤细胞中ER的表达模式似乎与仅表现出ERβ(1)和ERβ(2)异构体的对照间质细胞不同。作者推测，高雌激素产生可能在间质细胞的肿瘤转化中起作用，而肿瘤细胞中ERα的单独存在可能会放大雌二醇-17β信号，促进肿瘤细胞的生长和进展。
