Estrogen receptor expression in the genital tract of female mice treated neonatally with diethylstilbestrol.
The distribution of the estrogen receptor (ER) was investigated immunohistochemically in the genital tract of 0 (day of birth)--to 50-day-old C57BL/Tw female mice given 5 daily injections of 2 micrograms diethylstilbestrol (DES) from the day of birth using an anti-ER monoclonal antibody. In the oviduct, cervix and vagina of control mice, both epithelial and stromal cell nuclei showed positive ER immunoreaction at 0 day. Nuclei of uterine stromal cells also showed strong ER immunostaining even at 0 day. In contrast, the ER in uterine epithelial cells began to appear by day 5. The number of positive epithelial cells and staining intensity gradually increased until 10 days. In neonatally DES-exposed mice, ER appeared in uterine epithelial cells 24 h after the injection. Polygonal cells appearing in the vaginal epithelium of DES-exposed 3-day-old mice showed weak ER staining. Neonatal DES exposure reduced staining intensity of columnar vaginal epithelial cells and uterine stromal cells at 3 days. Vaginal epithelial cells undergoing ovary-independent stratification and cornification in neonatally DES-exposed mice and normal estrous mice showed ER immunoreaction only in the basal cells.
Sato
T
T
Graduate School of Integrated Science, Yokohama City University, Japan.
Okamura
H
H
Ohta
Y
Y
Hayashi
S
S
Takamatsu
Y
Y
Takasugi
N
N
Iguchi
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol