title: Association of increased type I collagen expression and relative stromal overgrowth in mouse epididymis neonatally exposed to diethylstilbestrol.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular changes that underlie morphological changes in the epididymis following neonatal exposure to potent synthetic estrogen, namely diethylstilbestrol (DES). Newborn male mice were subcutaneously injected with DES or endogenous estrogen, namely 17 beta-estradiol (E2) (5 microg/mouse/day), for the first 5 days. At the age of 2, 4, and 8 weeks, epididymides of the mice were dissected. Characteristic morphological abnormality, such as relative stromal overgrowth, was observed at the age of 2 weeks in the epididymis of DES-treated mice, but not in E2-treated mice. Microarray and real-time RT-PCR analyses revealed that the expression levels of procollagen type I alpha 1 (col1a1) and col1a2 genes were markedly upregulated at the age of 2 weeks in the epididymis of DES-treated mice in comparison with the control. Western blot analysis revealed that type I collagen protein expression level in epididymis of DES-treated mice was elevated at the age of 2 weeks. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that the signals of col1a1 mRNA were detected similarly throughout the stromal tissue of epididymis at the age of 2 weeks in control and DES- and E2-treated mice. The gene expression level of epididymal type III collagen (col3a1), which is found in many stromal connective tissues as well as type I collagen, did not change at the age of 2 weeks in all groups. These results suggest that the increased type I collagen expression is associated with the relative stromal overgrowth in the epididymis of DES-treated mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukata
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tainaka
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohda
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Chisato
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090602:Collagen Type I, alpha 1 Chain; D017931:DNA Primers; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C000716128:Col1a1 protein, mouse; D024042:Collagen Type I; D000090602:Collagen Type I, alpha 1 Chain; D017931:DNA Primers; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol