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Distribution patterns of estrogen receptor α and β in the human cortex and hippocampus during development and adulthood
Author(s) -
González Miriam,
CabreraSocorro Alfredo,
PérezGarcía Carlos G.,
Fraser James D.,
López Francisco J.,
Alonso Rafael,
Meyer Gundela
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.21419
Subject(s) - hippocampus , biology , dentate gyrus , hippocampal formation , immunostaining , cerebral cortex , cortex (anatomy) , estrogen receptor , estrogen receptor beta , endocrinology , medicine , neuroscience , immunohistochemistry , immunology , genetics , cancer , breast cancer
The expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) in the developing and adult human brain has not been clearly established, although estrogens are crucial for neuronal differentiation, synapse formation, and cognitive functions. By using immunohistochemistry, we have studied the distribution of ERα and ERβ in human cerebral cortex and hippocampus from early prenatal stages to adult life. ERα was detected in the cortex at 9 gestational weeks (GW), with a high expression in proliferating zones and the cortical plate. The staining intensity decreased gradually during prenatal development but increased again from birth to adulthood. In contrast, ERβ was first detected at 15 GW in proliferating zones, and at 16/17 GW, numerous ERβ immunopositive cells were also observed in the cortical plate. ERβ expression persisted in the adult cortex, being widely distributed throughout cortical layers II–VI. In addition, from around 15 GW to adulthood, ERα and ERβ were expressed in human hippocampus mainly in pyramidal cells of Ammon's horn and in the dentate gyrus. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in the adult cerebral cortex and hippocampus revealed lower protein expression of ERα compared with ERβ. Double immunostaining showed that during fetal life both ERs are expressed in neurons as well as in radial glia, although only ERα is expressed in the Cajal‐Retzius neurons of the marginal zone. These observations demonstrate that the expression of ERα and ERβ displays different spatial‐temporal patterns during human cortical and hippocampal development and suggest that both ERs may play distinct roles in several processes related to prenatal brain development. J. Comp. Neurol. J. Comp. Neurol. 503:790–802, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.