Estrogen receptors appear undetectable in the C-cells of the human thyroid gland.
An attempt was made to explain the bone-preserving effect of estrogen by analysis of estrogen receptors (OER) in the calcitonin-producing C-cells of the human thyroid gland. Thyroid tissue from twenty patients with benign hyperthyroidism and three patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma was used. The C-cells were identified immunohistochemically using a polyclonal antibody to calcitonin, and by a similar staining technique the adjacent sections were stained for the OER protein using a monoclonal antibody (H 222-ABBOTT, USA). In spite of an intense nuclear staining of the positive control tissue (an OER positive breast carcinoma) no specific OER-staining was identified in C-cells or any other cells of the thyroid gland. Neither a dextran-coated charcoal assay nor a solid-phase immunoenzyme assay revealed any quantitative OER activity in tissue homogenates. Various observations point to a regulating mechanism between calcitonin and estrogen. The nature of this mechanism is not known, but according to our study it is unlikely to be a direct one.
Frølich
A
A
Department of Clinical Chemistry, Herlev University Hospital, Denmark.
Christensen
L
L
Andersen
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002606:Charcoal; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D000906:Antibodies; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003911:Dextrans; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D002606:Charcoal; D002116:Calcitonin