Estrogen receptor‐alpha genotype affects exercise‐related bone mass in young healthy women

Estrogen protects against bone loss, but is not a suitable treatment due to adverse effects in other tissues. Increased knowledge regarding estrogen signaling in estrogen-responsive tissues is therefore warranted to aid the development of bone-specific estrogen treatments. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), the main mediator of estrogenic effects in bone, is widely subjected to posttranslational modifications (PTMs). In vitro studies have shown that methylation at site R260 in the human ERα affects receptor localization and intracellular signaling. The corresponding amino acid R264 in murine ERα has been shown to have a functional role in endothelium in vivo; albeit the methylation of R264 in the murine gene is yet to be empirically demonstrated. The aim of this study was to investigate if R264 in ERα is involved in the regulation of the skeleton in vivo. DXA analysis at three, six, nine, and twelve months of age showed no differences in total body areal BMD between R264A and WT in either female or male mice. Furthermore, analyses using CT demonstrated that trabecular bone mass in tibia and vertebra, and cortical thickness in tibia, were similar between R264A and WT mice. In addition, R264A females displayed a normal estrogen treatment response in trabecular bone mass, as well as in cortical thickness. Furthermore, uterus, thymus, and adipose tissue responded similarly in R264A and WT female mice after estrogen treatment. In conclusion, our novel finding that mutation of R264 in ERα does not affect the regulation of the skeleton, together with the known role of R264 for ERα-mediated endothelial effects, supports the concept that R264 determines tissue specificity of ERα.

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Testosterone and the Male Skeleton: A Dual Mode of Action

Journal of Osteoporosis ◽

10.4061/2011/240328 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Mieke Sinnesael ◽

Steven Boonen ◽

Frank Claessens ◽

Evelien Gielen ◽

Dirk Vanderschueren

Keyword(s):

Estrogen Receptor ◽

Androgen Receptor ◽

Bone Mass ◽

Bone Turnover ◽

Mode Of Action ◽

Estrogen Receptor Alpha ◽

Receptor Activation ◽

Male Mice ◽

Dual Mode ◽

Receptor Alpha

Testosterone is an important hormone for both bone gain and maintenance in men. Hypogonadal men have accelerated bone turnover and increased fracture risk. In these men, administration of testosterone inhibits bone resorption and maintains bone mass. Testosterone, however, is converted into estradiol via aromatization in many tissues including male bone. The importance of estrogen receptor alpha activation as well of aromatization of androgens into estrogens was highlighted by a number of cases of men suffering from an inactivating mutation in the estrogen receptor alpha or in the aromatase enzyme. All these men typically had low bone mass, high bone turnover and open epiphyses. In line with these findings, cohort studies have confirmed that estradiol contributes to the maintenance of bone mass after reaching peak bone mass, with an association between estradiol and fractures in elderly men. Recent studies in knock-out mice have increased our understanding of the role of androgens and estrogens in different bone compartments. Estrogen receptor activation, but not androgen receptor activation, is involved in the regulation of male longitudinal appendicular skeletal growth in mice. Both the androgen and the estrogen receptor can independently mediate the cancellous bone-sparing effects of sex steroids in male mice. Selective KO studies of the androgen receptor in osteoblasts in male mice suggest that the osteoblast in the target cell for androgen receptor mediated maintenance of trabecular bone volume and coordination of bone matrix synthesis and mineralization. Taken together, both human and animal studies suggest that testosterone has a dual mode of action on different bone surfaces with involvement of both the androgen and estrogen receptor.

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