Zhang Haolin, Chen Pengyu, Liu Yuxin, Xie Wenqian, Fan Sijie, Yao Yuchen, Han Yingying, Yuan Zhengrong, Weng Qiang
Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2022 Apr;218:106058. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2022.106058. Epub 2022 Jan 10.
Previous studies found that testosterone was converted to dihydrotestosterone under the catalysis of 5α-reductase in the prostate of the wild ground squirrels. As a result, this study explored further whether testosterone could be converted to estrogen to affect the prostate gland function in wild ground squirrels. Histological observation showed that the area of epithelial cells and the prostatic secretory lumen were enlarged significantly during the breeding period. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes in the prostate were concentrated in the estrogen signaling pathway. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the immunoreactivities of P450arom were detected in the stromal cells during the breeding and non-breeding periods, indicating the possible conversion of androgen into estrogen locally. Moreover, the immunolocalizations of ERα and ERβ were detected mainly in the epithelial or stromal cells. Additionally, qPCR analysis displayed that the mRNA expression level of P450arom in the prostate was significantly higher during the breeding period than that in the non-breeding period. Consistently, the concentration of 17β-estradiol (E) was higher in the prostate during the breeding period than the non-breeding period, which is positively correlated with the seasonal changes of prostatic weight. In conclusion, the present results indicated that estrogen produced by P450arom presented in stromal cells might regulate the growth and function of the prostate gland via the locally expressed estrogen receptors in wild ground squirrels. The results of this study were momentous for further uncovering the mechanism of the seasonal regulated by signal pathways in the prostate of wild ground squirrels.
先前的研究发现，睾酮在野生地松鼠前列腺中5α-还原酶的催化下转化为二氢睾酮。因此，本研究进一步探讨了睾酮是否可转化为雌激素以影响野生地松鼠的前列腺功能。组织学观察表明，繁殖期上皮细胞面积和前列腺分泌腔显著增大。转录组分析显示，前列腺中差异表达的基因集中在雌激素信号通路。免疫组织化学分析表明，在繁殖期和非繁殖期的基质细胞中均检测到P450芳香化酶的免疫反应性，表明雄激素可能在局部转化为雌激素。此外，ERα和ERβ的免疫定位主要在上皮或基质细胞中检测到。另外，qPCR分析显示，繁殖期前列腺中P450芳香化酶的mRNA表达水平显著高于非繁殖期。一致地，繁殖期前列腺中17β-雌二醇（E）的浓度高于非繁殖期，这与前列腺重量的季节性变化呈正相关。总之，目前的结果表明，基质细胞中由P450芳香化酶产生的雌激素可能通过野生地松鼠中局部表达的雌激素受体调节前列腺的生长和功能。本研究结果对于进一步揭示野生地松鼠前列腺中信号通路季节性调节的机制具有重要意义。
