Department of Cell Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Biol Reprod. 2013 Jan 10;88(1):7. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod.112.103614. Print 2013 Jan.
The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus, Gerbilinae: Muridae) is useful for prostate studies, because both males and females spontaneously develop prostatic disorders with age. Estrogens regulate prostate homeostasis via two estrogen receptors, ER alpha (ESR1) and ER beta (ESR2), but the cellular distribution and regulation of these receptors in the gerbil prostate has not been described. Both receptors were localized by immunohistochemistry in the ventral prostate of intact male and female gerbils, in males 7 and 21 days after castration, and in females treated with testosterone for 7 and 21 days. In male and female adult gerbils, ER alpha was detected mainly in prostatic stromal cells, whereas ER beta was present mostly in secretory and basal cells. More ER alpha-positive stromal cells were found in females than in males, as was a reduction toward the male value in females treated with testosterone. Castration did not alter ER alpha expression. Testosterone was necessary for maintenance of ER beta in the male prostate epithelium: ER beta expression declined markedly in prostates of males older than 1 yr, and castration of 4-mo-old males caused a reduction in ER beta to levels seen in 1-yr-old males. Because ER beta is an antiproliferative receptor, its loss with age may predispose the aging gerbil to proliferative diseases of the prostate.
蒙古沙鼠（Meriones unguiculatus，沙鼠科：鼠科）可用于前列腺研究，因为雄性和雌性沙鼠都会随着年龄的增长而自发出现前列腺疾病。雌激素通过两种雌激素受体，即 ERα（ESR1）和 ERβ（ESR2）来调节前列腺的稳态，但雌激素受体在沙鼠前列腺中的细胞分布和调节尚未被描述。通过免疫组织化学方法，在完整雄性和雌性沙鼠的前列腺腹侧叶、雄性沙鼠去势后 7 天和 21 天、以及接受睾酮处理的雌性沙鼠 7 天和 21 天中，检测到了这两种受体。在成年雄性和雌性沙鼠中，ERα主要存在于前列腺基质细胞中，而 ERβ主要存在于分泌细胞和基底细胞中。与雄性相比，雌性沙鼠中 ERα阳性的基质细胞更多，而接受睾酮处理的雌性沙鼠中 ERα阳性基质细胞向雄性值减少。去势不会改变 ERα的表达。睾酮对于维持雄性前列腺上皮中的 ERβ是必需的：在 1 岁以上的雄性沙鼠中，ERβ的表达明显下降，而 4 月龄雄性沙鼠去势会导致 ERβ减少至与 1 岁雄性沙鼠相同的水平。由于 ERβ是一种抗增殖受体，其随年龄的丧失可能使衰老的沙鼠易患前列腺增生性疾病。
