| 1. |
- Antonson, P., et al.
(author)
-
Generation of an all-exon Esr2 deleted mouse line: Effects on fertility
- 2020
-
In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 529:2, s. 231-237
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Estrogen receptor beta (ER beta), encoded by the Esr2 gene, is one of two nuclear receptors that mediate the functions of the steroid hormone estradiol. The binding of estradiol to the receptor results in enhanced transcription of many genes that have estrogen response elements in promoter or enhancer regions. Several genetically modified mouse lines with mutations or deletions of exons in the Esr2 gene have been developed and results from analysis of these are not completely consistent, especially regarding ER beta's role in fertility. To address these controversies, we have used the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to make a deletion of the entire Esr2 gene in the mouse genome and determined the effect of this mutation on fertility. We show that female Esr2 deleted mice, Esr2(Delta E1-10), are subfertile at young age, with fewer litters and smaller litter size, and that they become infertile/have severely reduced fertility at around six months of age, while the male Esr2(Delta E1-10) mice are fertile. Ovaries from Esr2(Delta E1-10) mice are smaller than those from wild-type littermates and the morphology of the ovary displays very few corpora lutea, indicating a defect in ovulation. We also show that the estradiol levels are reduced at diestrus, the phase in the estrous cycle when levels are expected to start to increase before ovulation. Our results verify that ER beta has an important function in female reproduction, likely as a regulator of serum estradiol levels, and that its loss does not affect male reproductive function. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
|
|
| 2. |
- Brundin, Peik M., et al.
(author)
-
Expression of Sex Hormone Receptor and Immune Response Genes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells During the Menstrual Cycle
- 2021
-
In: Frontiers in Endocrinology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-2392. ; 12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sex hormones are known to interact with the immune system on multiple levels but information on the types of sex hormone receptors (SHR) and their expression levels in immune cells is scarce. Estrogen, testosterone and progesterone are all considered to interact with the immune system through their respective cell receptors (ERα and ERβ including the splice variant ERβ2, AR and PGR). In this study expression levels of SHR genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cell subsets (CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, CD56+ NK-cells, CD14+ monocytes and CD19+ B-cells) were analyzed using standard manual qPCR or a qPCR array (TLDA). Nine healthy individuals including men (n = 2), premenopausal (Pre-MP, n = 5) and postmenopausal (post-MP, n = 2) women were sampled for PBMCs which were separated to cell subsets using FACS. Ten Pre-MP women were longitudinally sampled for total PBMCs at different phases of the menstrual cycle. We found that ERα was most abundant and, unexpectedly, that ERβ2 was the dominant ERβ variant in several FACS sorted cell subsets. In total PBMCs, SHR (ERα, ERβ1, ERβ2, and AR) expression did not fluctuate according to the phase of the menstrual cycle and PGR was not expressed. However, several immune response genes (GATA3, IFNG, IL1B, LTA, NFKB1, PDCD1, STAT3, STAT5A, TBX21, TGFB1, TNFA) were more expressed during the ovulatory and mid-luteal phases. Sex hormone levels did not correlate significantly with gene expression of SHR or immune response genes, but sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a steroid hormone transporting protein, was positively correlated to expression of ERβ1 gene. This study provides new insights in the distribution of ERs in immune cells. Furthermore, expression patterns of several immune response genes differ significantly between phases of the menstrual cycle, supporting a role for sex hormones in the immune response.
|
|
