Estrogen Receptor-α Knockout Mice

Generation and Application of Male Mice with Specific Expression of Green Fluorescent Protein in Germ Cells

PURPOSE

The study aimed to generate a mouse line with green fluorescent protein (GFP) specifically expressed in male germ cells to assess testicular toxicity.

PROCEDURES

The mouse line with GFP specifically expressed in male germ cells was generated by mating a germ cell-specific transgenic Cre male mouse with a double-fluorescent reporter female mouse using Cre/loxP. The mouse line was administered ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) by oral gavage. Then, the green fluorescence intensity in the testes was used as an indicator to examine the potential for testicular toxicity testing by molecular biology, histopathology, and in vivo imaging techniques.

RESULTS

Specific testicular GFP expression was observed in mice. GFP was mainly expressed in the germ cell lineage and concentrated in secondary spermatocytes/spermatocytes and spermatozoa. After administration of EGME, at the organ level, the green fluorescent intensity of the testes was decreased by 11 days and had disappeared by 34 days. Frozen testicular sections stained with DAPI showed significantly decreased green fluorescence in secondary spermatocytes and sperm cells. These observations were consistent with the testis weight and results of testicular histopathology.

CONCLUSIONS

With the application of in vivo imaging becoming popular, this mouse line with GFP specifically expressed in the male germ cells may have some advantages for the study of reproductive toxicity.

Estrogen Signaling Contributes to Sex Differences in Macrophage Polarization during Asthma

Allergic asthma is a chronic Th2 inflammation in the lungs that constricts the airways and presents as coughing and wheezing. Asthma mostly affects boys in childhood and women in adulthood, suggesting that shifts in sex hormones alter the course of the disease. Alveolar macrophages have emerged as major mediators of allergic lung inflammation in animal models as well as humans. Whether sex differences exist in macrophage polarization and the molecular mechanism(s) that drive differential responses are not well understood. We found that IL-4-stimulated bone marrow-derived and alveolar macrophages from female mice exhibited greater expression of M2 genes in vitro and after allergen challenge in vivo. Alveolar macrophages from female mice exhibited greater expression of the IL-4Rα and estrogen receptor (ER) α compared with macrophages from male mice following allergen challenge. An ERα-specific agonist enhanced IL-4-induced M2 gene expression in macrophages from both sexes, but more so in macrophages from female mice. Furthermore, IL-4-stimulated macrophages from female mice exhibited more transcriptionally active histone modifications at M2 gene promoters than did macrophages from male mice. We found that supplementation of estrogen into ovariectomized female mice enhanced M2 polarization in vivo upon challenge with allergen and that macrophage-specific deletion of ERα impaired this M2 polarization. The effects of estrogen are long-lasting; bone marrow-derived macrophages from ovariectomized mice implanted with estrogen exhibited enhanced IL-4-induced M2 gene expression compared with macrophages from placebo-implanted littermates. Taken together, our findings suggest that estrogen enhances IL-4-induced M2 gene expression and thereby contributes to sex differences observed in asthma.