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Estrogen receptor subtypes localization shifts in cultured mouse ovarian follicles

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Abstract

Estrogens play an important role in the growth, differentiation, and function of female reproductive tissues. Estrogen signals through estrogen receptors (ERs), members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. The two major forms, ERα and ERβ, are expressed in the mouse ovary, where ERβ is predominantly expressed in granulosa cells, and ERα in theca cells. In this study, we determined the expression pattern of ER subtypes within mouse follicles cultured from the early preantral stage up to the preovulatory stage and after an ovulatory stimulus in different culture conditions. Immunohistochemical studies performed at different time points of culture revealed that ERβ was found exclusively in granulosa cell nuclei regardless of follicular growth stage or culture conditions. In contrast, ERα was found in oocyte, granulose, and theca cells, and its subcellular localization differed between follicular growth stages and culture conditions. A shift from a predominant cytoplasmic to a predominant nuclear immunolocalization was observed in granulosa cells as follicles reached the antral growth phase, and was postponed in culture conditions with minimal growth factor supplementation. In response to hCG, ERβ protein levels in luteinized granulosa cells spectacularly declined to undetectable levels, while ERα immunostaining again shifted to cytoplasmic regions, but not in theca cells.

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Acknowledgments

Our thanks go to Katy Billooye, research technician at the VUB, Claire Bourgain, M.D., Ph.D. (Department of Pathology, UZ Brussel), Rita Cortvrindt, M.Sc. (Eggcentris N.V., Zellik, Belgium), who gave valuable comments at the initial setup of the project, and to Anne Gerard, technician at UZ Brussel, who performed the steroid immunoassays.

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  1. Follicle Biology Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium

    Sandy Lenie & Johan Smitz

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  1. Sandy Lenie
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  2. Johan Smitz
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Correspondence to Sandy Lenie.

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This project was supported in part by ReProTect (LSHB-CT-2004-503257) (European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods; ECVAM; http://www.reprotect.eu) and by a research grant from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

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Lenie, S., Smitz, J. Estrogen receptor subtypes localization shifts in cultured mouse ovarian follicles. Histochem Cell Biol 129, 827–840 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-008-0408-9

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