Journal
CELLULAR IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 214, Issue 1, Pages 12-20Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1006/cimm.2002.1886
Keywords
NK cells; cytotoxicity; transgenic/knockout; immunomodulators (estrogen); estrogen receptors
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Funding
- NIEHS NIH HHS [P01ES10535-01] Funding Source: Medline
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Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in host defense against pathogens and immune surveillance against cancer. Given that estrogens have been reported to suppress NK cell activity, we sought to elucidate the mechanisms by which estrogen mediates this effect. We demonstrate by immunocytochemical staining with estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha)- and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta)-specific antibodies that both ERalpha and ERbeta are expressed in murine NK cells. We also compared the ability of high doses of 17beta-estradiol (similar to800 pg/ml) to regulate NK cell activity in wild-type and estrogen receptor-alpha-deficient (ERalphaKO) mice. 17beta-estradiol elicited a significant decrease in NK cell activity in both wild-type and ERalphaKO mice (P < 0.001). These data suggest that ERbeta or possibly a novel receptor is involved in mediating estrogen action on NK cell activity and raise the potential for therapeutic modulation of NK cell activity with selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science (USA).
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