J Vet Sci.  2012 Sep;13(3):223-227. 10.4142/jvs.2012.13.3.223.

Evidence for estrogen receptor expression during medullary bone formation and resorption in estrogen-treated male Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

• Hiyama S
• Sugiyama T
• Kusuhara S
• Uchida T

• KMID: 1389760
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2012.13.3.223

Abstract

The temporal expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and ER-beta mRNA was examined in male Japanese quails. Femurs of quails receiving 17beta-estradiol underwent RTPCR and histochemical analysis 1 to 15 days after treatment. Untreated quails were used as controls (day 0). Between days 0 and 5, cells lining the bone endosteal surface differentiated into osteoblasts, which in turn formed medullary bone. Expression of ER-alpha was already observed on day 0 and increased slightly during bone formation whereas ER-beta was hardly detected throughout this process. After osteoclasts appeared on the medullary bone surface, this type of bone disappeared from the bone marrow cavity (days 7~15). ER-alpha expression simultaneously decreased slightly and ER-beta levels remained very low. These results suggest that estrogen activity mediated by ER-alpha not only affects medullary bone formation but also bone resorption.

Keyword

estrogen receptor alpha; estrogen receptor beta; medullary bone; osteoblasts; osteoclasts

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bone Resorption/genetics
Bone and Bones/chemistry/cytology/*metabolism
Cells, Cultured
Coturnix/*metabolism
Estradiol/*pharmacology
Estrogen Receptor alpha/genetics/*metabolism
Estrogen Receptor beta/genetics/*metabolism
Gene Expression Regulation
Male
Osteoblasts/chemistry/cytology/*metabolism
Osteogenesis/genetics
RNA, Messenger/metabolism
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction