| 1. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine, et al.
(författare)
-
Antibody Validation for Estrogen Receptor Beta
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Methods in Molecular Biology. - New York, NY : Springer Nature. - 1064-3745 .- 1940-6029. ; 2418, s. 1-23, s. 1-23
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibodies can cross-react with proteins other than their intended targets, and antibody-based applications can, if not properly validated, lead to flawed interpretations. When evaluating 13 anti-estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) antibodies in 2017, we concluded that only one of them was specific. Applying this antibody in immunohistochemistry of over 44 different normal human tissues and 20 types of cancers revealed ERβ expression in only a few selected tissues. This aligned with mRNA evidence but contradicted a large set of published literature. ERβ protein expression continues to be reported in tissues without clear support by mRNA expression. In this chapter, we describe how ERβ antibodies can be thoroughly validated and discuss selection of well-characterized positive and negative controls. The validation scheme presented is applicable for immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The protocol includes evaluation of mRNA evidence, use of public databases, assessment of on- and off-target binding, and an optional step for corroboration with immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry.
|
|
| 2. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine, et al.
(författare)
-
ERβ in Granulosa Cell Tumors and Its Clinical Potential
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Endocrinology. - : The Endocrine Society. - 0013-7227 .- 1945-7170. ; 164:6
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are rare ovarian tumors comprising an adult and a juvenile subtype. They have a generally good prognosis, but the survival rate drastically declines in patients with late-stage or recurring tumors. Due to the rarity of GCTs, the tumor type is largely understudied and lacks a specific treatment strategy. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ/ESR2) has been found to be highly expressed in GCTs, which could be of therapeutic importance since it can be targeted with small molecules. However, its role in GCTs is not known. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the action of ERβ in the ovary and discuss its prospective role in GCTs.
|
|
| 3. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine, et al.
(författare)
-
Intestinal estrogen receptor beta modulates the tumor immune microenvironment in a mouse model of colitis-associated cancer
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Chronic inflammation promotes the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), as evidenced by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and sex disparities are evident in CRC. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of stromal cells and infiltrating immune cells that directly affect processes including antitumor immunity. We have previously shown that intestinal estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) protects against colitis and colitis-induced cancer (CAC) by modulating inflammatory signaling and that males are more sensitive to the induction of colitis and cancer. However, sex differences between tumors and the impact of ERβ the tumor immune microenvironment have not been investigated. In this study, we have analyzed colon samples from AOM/DSS-treated wild-type and ERβKOVil mice (that lack intestinal ERβ) and profiled the differences in the transcriptome and immune response to CAC on the basis of sex and ERβ expression. RNA-sequencing revealed differences in gene expression and enriched biological processes depending on sex and genotype, and the immune response to cancer appears altered between tumors from female WT and ERβKOVil mice. Immunostaining subsequently showed that tumors from ERβKOVil mice display significantly increased CD68+ macrophage infiltration, decreased CD3+ T cell infiltration, and, strikingly, impaired NK cell infiltration. Here, for the first time, we show that intestinal ERβ modulates the tumor immune microenvironment during CAC and that lack of intestinal ERβ appears to promote the formation of an immunosuppressive TME. Our findings indicate that activation of ERβ could be used to treat CRC, possibly together with immunotherapies, and provide a foundation for future studies investigating ERβ and immunity.
|
|
| 4. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine, et al.
(författare)
-
Ovarian ERβ cistrome and transcriptome reveal chromatin interaction with LRH-1
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ, Esr2) plays a pivotal role in folliculogenesis and ovulation, yet its exact mechanism of action is mainly uncharacterized.Results: We here performed ChIP-sequencing of mouse ovaries followed by complementary RNA-sequencing of wild-type and ERβ knockout ovaries. By integrating the cistrome and transcriptome, we identify its direct target genes and enriched biological functions in the ovary. This demonstrates a strong impact on genes regulating organism development, cell migration, lipid metabolism, response to hypoxia, and response to estrogen. Cell-type deconvolution analysis of the bulk RNA-seq data revealed a decrease in luteal cells and an increased proportion of theca cells and a specific type of cumulus cells upon ERβ loss. Moreover, we identify a significant overlap with the gene regulatory network of liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1). ERβ and LRH-1 extensively bind to the same chromatin locations in granulosa cells and we corroborate simultaneous co-binding using ChIP re-ChIP, at the ERβ-repressed gene Greb1. At other shared sites (by ERβ-upregulated genes Cyp11a1 and Fkbp5), they do not bind simultaneously. Transactivation assay experimentation further show that ERβ and LRH-1 can inhibit their respective transcriptional activity at classical response elements.Conclusions: We characterize genome-wide ERβ chromatin binding and gene regulations which reveal extensive crosstalk between ERβ and LRH-1. We experimentally corroborate co-binding to target genes and impact on transactivation. Our data offer genome-wide mechanistic underpinnings of ovarian physiology and fertility.
|
|
| 5. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine, et al.
(författare)
-
Ovarian ERβ cistrome and transcriptome reveal chromatin interaction with LRH-1
- 2023
-
Ingår i: BMC Biology. - : Springer Nature. - 1741-7007. ; 21:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ, Esr2) plays a pivotal role in folliculogenesis and ovulation, yet its exact mechanism of action is mainly uncharacterized.Results: We here performed ERβ ChIP-sequencing of mouse ovaries followed by complementary RNA-sequencing of wild-type and ERβ knockout ovaries. By integrating the ERβ cistrome and transcriptome, we identified its direct target genes and enriched biological functions in the ovary. This demonstrated its strong impact on genes regulating organism development, cell migration, lipid metabolism, response to hypoxia, and response to estrogen. Cell-type deconvolution analysis of the bulk RNA-seq data revealed a decrease in luteal cells and an increased proportion of theca cells and a specific type of cumulus cells upon ERβ loss. Moreover, we identified a significant overlap with the gene regulatory network of liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1, Nr5a2) and showed that ERβ and LRH-1 extensively bound to the same chromatin locations in granulosa cells. Using ChIP-reChIP, we corroborated simultaneous ERβ and LRH-1 co-binding at the ERβ-repressed gene Greb1 but not at the ERβ-upregulated genes Cyp11a1 and Fkbp5. Transactivation assay experimentation further showed that ERβ and LRH-1 can inhibit their respective transcriptional activity at classical response elements.Conclusions: By characterizing the genome-wide endogenous ERβ chromatin binding, gene regulations, and extensive crosstalk between ERβ and LRH-1, along with experimental corroborations, our data offer genome-wide mechanistic underpinnings of ovarian physiology and fertility.
|
|
| 6. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine
(författare)
-
Role and mechanism of estrogen receptor beta in the ovary and colon
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Estrogen regulates a variety of important physiological functions in both males and females, where the regulation of female reproduction and the development of sexual organs are typical examples. The effects of estrogen are predominantly exerted via signaling through the two nuclear receptors estrogen receptor α (ERα) and β (ERβ), or the membrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). While estrogen signaling is important for human health, dysregulation of signaling can have adverse effects and impact the development and progression of a wide range of diseases including reproductive disorders and cancer.ERβ has been shown to be highly important for ovarian function by regulating folliculogenesis and ovulation but has also been implied to protect against the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) by mediating the effects of estrogen. Despite the known role of ERβ, there is a lack of mechanistic understanding regarding how ERβ acts under both normal conditions and during disease. The overall aim of this thesis was to characterize the function and molecular mechanism of endogenous ERβ and to decipher its role in the normal ovary as well as its impact on colitis and CRC development. To further understand the role of estrogen signaling in the colon, we also aimed to identify sex differences during CRC development. In paper I we characterized the full cistrome of endogenous ovarian ERβ in the mouse and explored its transcriptional impact. We confirmed a direct role for ERβ in the regulation of essential ovarian functions and identified a novel crosstalk with the nuclear receptor LRH-1. In paper II we induced colitis-associated CRC (CAC) in intestinal epithelial-specific ERβ knockout mice and identified a protective effect by intestinal ERβ against tumor development in both male and female mice. We further characterized sex-dependent effects and proposed an underlying mechanism involving the regulation of TNFα/NFκB signaling. In paper III we expanded the investigation of sex-dependent changes during chemically-induced colitis in wildtype mice and identified a sex-specific response related to inflammatory response. We further found that male mice have an enhanced response to induced colitis.In paper IV the transcriptome of colitis-induced tumors and their immune cell infiltration was explored in wildtype and intestinal epithelial-specific ERβ knockout mice of both sexes. This showed that sex differences in the transcriptome appear to be dependent on the expression of ERβ. Also, the identified ERβ-dependent changes in the tumor transcriptome of female mice were specifically related to immune response. We corroborated an impact of ERβ on the infiltration of immune cells, especially a reduction of regulatory T cell and NK cell recruitment. In summary, this thesis provides new mechanistic understanding of the transcriptional role of ERβ in the normal ovary and in the colon microenvironment. This includes the discovery of crosstalk with LRH-1 in the ovary and NFκB in the colon. Our characterization provides a foundation to develop targeted therapies for improved fertility and chemoprevention in CRC. This thesis also highlights the importance of including both sexes in colitis and CRC research to advance our knowledge and improve treatment development.
|
|
| 7. |
- Birgersson, Madeleine
(författare)
-
Role and mechanism of estrogen receptor beta in the physiology of the ovary and colon
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Estrogen regulates a variety of important physiological functions in both males and females, where the regulation of female reproduction and the development of sexual organs are typical examples. The effects of estrogen are predominantly exerted via signaling through the two nuclear receptors estrogen receptor α (ERα) and β (ERβ), or the membrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). While estrogen signaling is important for human health, dysregulation of signaling can have adverse effects and impact the development and progression of a wide range of diseases including reproductive disorders and cancer. ERβ has been shown to be highly important for ovarian function by regulating folliculogenesis and ovulation but has also been implied to protect against the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) by mediating the effects of estrogen. Despite the known role of ERβ, there is a lack of mechanistic understanding regarding how ERβ acts under both normal conditions and during disease. The overall aim of this thesis was to characterize the function and molecular mechanism of endogenous ERβ and to decipher its role in the normal ovary as well as its impact on colitis and CRC development. To further understand the role of estrogen signaling in the colon, we also aimed to identify sex differences during CRC development. In paper I we characterized the full cistrome of endogenous ovarian ERb in the mouse and explored its transcriptional impact. We confirmed a direct role for ERβ in the regulation of essential ovarian functions and identified a novel crosstalk with the nuclear receptor LRH-1. In paper II we induced colitis-associated CRC (CAC) in intestinal epithelialspecific ERβ knockout mice and identified a protective effect by intestinal ERβ against tumor development in both male and female mice. We further characterized sex-dependent effects and proposed an underlying mechanism involving the regulation of TNFα/NFκB signaling. In paper III we expanded the investigation of sex-dependent changes during chemically-induced colitis in wildtype mice and identified a sex-specific response related to inflammatory response. We further found that male mice have an enhanced response to induced colitis. In paper IV the transcriptome of colitis-induced tumors and their immune cell infiltration was explored in wildtype and intestinal epithelial-specific ERβ knockout mice of both sexes. This showed that sex differences in the transcriptome appear to be dependent on the expression of ERβ. Also, the identified ERβ-dependent changes in the tumor transcriptome of female mice were specifically related to immune response. We corroborated an impact of ERβ on the infiltration of immune cells, especially a reduction of regulatory T cell and NK cell recruitment. In summary, this thesis provides new mechanistic understanding of the transcriptional role of ERβ in the normal ovary and in the colon microenvironment. This includes the discovery of crosstalk with LRH-1 in the ovary and NFκB in the colon. Our characterization provides a foundation to develop targeted therapies for improved fertility and chemoprevention in CRC. This thesis also highlights the importance of including both sexes in colitis and CRC research to advance our knowledge and improve treatment development.
|
|
| 8. |
- Hakim Jaffer Ali, Mohammed, et al.
(författare)
-
Benchmarking virus concentration methods for quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in raw wastewater
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 755
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wastewater-based epidemiology offers a cost-effective alternative to testing large populations for SARS-CoV-2 virus, and may potentially be used as an early warning system for SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread. However, viruses are highly diluted in wastewater, and a validated method for their concentration and further processing, and suitable reference viruses, are the main needs to be established for reliable SARS-CoV-2 municipal wastewater detection. For this purpose, we collected wastewater from two European cities during the Covid-19 pandemic and evaluated the sensitivity of RT-qPCR detection of viral RNA after four concentration methods (two variants of ultrafiltration-based method and two adsorption and extraction-based methods). Further, we evaluated one external (bovine corona virus) and one internal (pepper mild mottle virus) reference virus. We found a consistently higher recovery of spiked virus using the modified ultrafiltration-based method. This method also had a significantly higher efficiency (p-value <0.01) for wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detection. The ultracentrifugation method was the only method that detected SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater of both cities. The pepper mild mottle virus was found to function as a potentially suitable internal reference standard.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hases, Linnea, et al.
(författare)
-
Colitis Induces Sex-Specific Intestinal Transcriptomic Responses in Mice
- 2022
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 23:18, s. 10408-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There are significant sex differences in colorectal cancer (CRC), including in incidence, onset, and molecular characteristics. Further, while inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a risk factor for CRC in both sexes, men with IBD have a 60% higher risk of developing CRC compared to women. In this study, we investigated sex differences during colitis-associated CRC (CAC) using a chemically induced CAC mouse model. The mice were treated with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and followed for 9 and 15 weeks. We performed RNA-sequencing of colon samples from males (n = 15) and females (n = 15) to study different stages of inflammation and identify corresponding transcriptomic sex differences in non-tumor colon tissue. We found a significant transcriptome response to AOM/DSS treatment in both sexes, including in pathways related to inflammation and cell proliferation. Notably, we found a stronger response in males and that male-specific differentially expressed genes were involved in NF kappa B signaling and circadian rhythm. Further, an overrepresented proportion of male-specific gene regulations were predicted to be targets of Stat3, whereas for females, targets of the glucocorticoid receptor (Gr/Nr3c1) were overrepresented. At 15 weeks, the most apparent sex difference involved genes with functions in T cell proliferation, followed by the regulation of demethylases. The majority of sex differences were thus related to inflammation and the immune system. Our novel data, profiling the transcriptomic response to chemically induced colitis and CAC, indicate clear sex differences in CRC initiation and progression.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hases, Linnea, et al.
(författare)
-
High-fat diet and estrogen impacts the colon and its transcriptome in a sex-dependent manner
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a strong association between obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC), especially in men, whereas estrogen protects against both the metabolic syndrome and CRC. Colon is the first organ to respond to high-fat diet (HFD), and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) can attenuate CRC development. How estrogen impacts the colon under HFD and related sex differences has, however, not been investigated. To dissect this, mice were fed control diet or HFD for 13 weeks and administered receptor-selective estrogenic ligands for the last three weeks. We recorded impact on metabolism, colon crypt proliferation, macrophage infiltration, and the colon transcriptome. We found clear sex differences in the colon transcriptome and in the impact by HFD and estrogens, including on clock genes. ERα-selective activation reduced body weight and generated systemic effects, whereas ERβ-selective activation had local effects in the colon, attenuating HFD-induced macrophage infiltration and epithelial cell proliferation. We here demonstrate how HFD and estrogens modulate the colon microenvironment in a sex- and ER-specific manner.
|
|
