Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México, Distrito Federal, México.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;294(11):1913-9. doi: 10.1002/ar.21247. Epub 2011 Oct 3.
In the hippocampus, estrogens increase dendritic arborization, long-term potentiation, neuroprotection, and participate in many functions related with learning, memory, and affective behaviors. The presence of both estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) isoforms has been described in the hippocampus where they play different physiological roles. The aim of this study was to investigate, by using both techniques immunohistochemistry and Western Blot, the expression pattern of ERα and ERβ in the hippocampus of the rat along the estrous cycle. Western blot analysis was used to confirm the specificity of the antibodies used against ERα and ERβ and its relative content in the hippocampus. Results from immunohistochemical studies indicate that ERβ expression increased more than the ERα in CA1 and CA3 regions during all phases of the estrous cycle. ERβ immunoreactivity was mainly located in the nucleus and predominantly expressed in CA1 during estrous and metestrus, and in CA3 during diestrus. ERα was more abundant during estrous in comparison to other phases of the cycle in CA1 region, while it was more abundant during metestrus in CA3. Interestingly, the immunolocalization of ERα subtype was both cytoplasmic and nuclear. The overall results indicate that there is a differential expression, cellular localization, and distribution of both ER subtypes in CA1 and CA3 regions, suggesting different roles for these two receptors in the hippocampus along the estrous cycle.
在海马体中，雌激素会增加树突分支、长时程增强、神经保护作用，并参与许多与学习、记忆和情感行为相关的功能。海马体中存在雌激素受体 alpha（ERα）和 beta（ERβ）两种亚型，它们发挥着不同的生理作用。本研究旨在通过免疫组织化学和 Western Blot 两种技术，研究雌激素受体 alpha（ERα）和 beta（ERβ）在大鼠海马体中的表达模式，以及在发情周期中的表达情况。Western Blot 分析用于验证针对 ERα 和 ERβ 的抗体的特异性及其在海马体中的相对含量。免疫组织化学研究的结果表明，在发情周期的所有阶段，CA1 和 CA3 区的 ERβ 表达均高于 ERα。ERβ 免疫反应主要位于细胞核中，在发情期和间情期主要在 CA1 中表达，在动情后期在 CA3 中表达。在 CA1 区，与发情周期的其他阶段相比，ERα 在发情期更为丰富，而在 CA3 区，ERα 在间情期更为丰富。有趣的是，ERα 亚型的免疫定位既有细胞质又有细胞核。总的来说，这些结果表明，在 CA1 和 CA3 区，这两种受体存在差异表达、细胞定位和分布，提示这两种受体在发情周期中对海马体有不同的作用。
