Abstract
Transcription and translation of estrogen receptor-b in the male reproductive tract of estrogen receptor-a knock-out and wild-type mice
Rosenfeld,Cheryl S.; Ganjam,V.K.; Taylor,John A.; Yuan,X.H.; Stiehr,J.R.; Hardy,Matthew P.; Lubahn,Dennis B.
Endocrinology 139(6): 2982-2987
Publication date: 1998
Estrogen receptor- (ER) has been identified in the male reproductivetract, but the role of estrogen in the male has not been wellcharacterized. In vivo mutations in ER genes have demonstratedthe necessity for ER-mediated action in male fertility. We askedwhether both ERß messenger RNA and protein were presentin the male reproductive tract of wild-type and ER knock-out (ERKO) mice, and whether ERß could compensate for the lackof ER in infertile male ER KO mice. Immunohistochemical localization withboth N- and C-terminal anti-ERß antibodies demonstratedthat ERß is present in the Leydig cells of the testesand in the epithelium of both the efferent ductules and theinitial segment of the epididymis. RT-PCR amplification wasused to confirm ERß transcription in these tissues. Inconclusion, we observed that ERß messenger RNA and proteincontinue to be expressed in the Leydig cells, elongated spermatids,efferent ductules, and the initial segment of the epididymidesof ER KO mice, but the presence of ERß is not able tocompensate for the absence of ER in male reproductive function.
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