title: Estrogen receptor-beta mediates dihydrotestosterone-induced stimulation of the arginine vasopressin promoter in neuronal cells.
abstract: Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of fluid balance, stress, circadian rhythms, and social behaviors. In the brain, AVP is tightly regulated by gonadal steroid hormones in discrete regions with gonadectomy abolishing and testosterone replacement restoring normal AVP expression in adult males. Previous studies demonstrated that 17beta-estradiol, a primary metabolite of testosterone, is responsible for restoring most of the AVP expression in the brain after castration. However, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has also been shown to play a role in the regulation of AVP expression, thus implicating the involvement of both androgen and estrogen receptors (ER). Furthermore, DHT, through its conversion to 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol, has been shown to modulate estrogen response element-mediated promoter activity through an ER pathway. The present study addressed two central hypotheses: 1) that androgens directly modulate AVP promoter activity and 2) the effect is mediated by an estrogen or androgen receptor pathway. To that end, we overexpressed androgen receptor, ERbeta, and ERbeta splice variants in a neuronal cell line and measured AVP promoter activity using a firefly luciferase reporter assay. Our results demonstrate that DHT and its metabolite 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol stimulate AVP promoter activity through ERbeta in a neuronal cell line.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA. tpak@lumc.edu
authors.forename: Toni R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Pak
authors.forename: Wilson C J
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Laura R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Hinds
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Handa
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000728:Androgens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol / Q000494:pharmacology; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000728:Androgens; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; C491309:Grip1 protein, mouse; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol; D008156:Luciferases