Delineating the regulation of estrogen and androgen receptor expression by sex steroids during rat spermatogenesis

Publication date: Available online 27 April 2018Source: The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAuthor(s): Anita Kumar, Kushaan Dumasia, Sharvari Deshpande, Sanketa Raut, N.H. BalasinorAbstractEstrogen receptors (ERα and β) and androgen receptor (AR) regulate various critical processes during spermatogenesis. Since spermatogenesis is very sensitive to hormonal stimuli and perturbations, it is important to understand the regulation of expression of these receptors by sex steroid hormones. Although many studies have reported deregulation of steroid receptors on endocrine disruption, there is no consensus on the regulation of their expression by steroid hormones during spermatogenesis, and a lack of clear understanding of the mechanism of regulation. Here, we evaluated the receptor expressions in a well-established exogenous estradiol administration model. We then investigated the mechanisms by which the individual receptors regulate their expression by binding to the respective hormone response elements upstream of these receptor genes. By further employing in vitro and in vivo models of ER and AR stimulation or antagonism, we delineated their regulation in a receptor subtype-specific manner. Our results indicate that ERα positively regulates expression of both the ERs; whereas, ERβ and AR negatively regulate expression of both ERβ and AR by direct binding to upstream regulatory regions. The perturbations in the levels of steroid receptors could be an impo...
Source: The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research