Sex-specific regulation of collagen I and III expression by 17β-estradiol in cardiac fibroblasts: role of estrogen receptors

Item Type:	Article
Title:	Sex-specific regulation of collagen I and III expression by 17β-estradiol in cardiac fibroblasts: role of estrogen receptors
Creators Name:	Dworatzek, E. and Mahmoodzadeh, S. and Schriever, C. and Kusumoto, K. and Kramer, L. and Santos, G. and Fliegner, D. and Leung, Y.K. and Ho, S.M. and Zimmermann, W.H. and Lutz, S. and Regitz-Zagrosek, V.
Abstract:	AIMS: Sex differences in cardiac fibrosis point to the regulatory role of 17β-Estradiol (E2) in cardiac fibroblasts (CF). We therefore asked whether male and female CF in rodent and human models are differentially susceptible to E2, and whether this is related to sex-specific activation of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ). METHODS AND RESULTS: In female rat CF (rCF), 24 h E2-treatment (10-8 M) led to a significant down-regulation of collagen I and III expression, whereas both collagens were up-regulated in male rCF. E2-induced sex-specific collagen regulation was also detected in human CF, indicating that this regulation is conserved across species. Using specific ERα- and ERβ-agonists (10-7 M) for 24 h, we identified ERα as repressive and ERβ as inducing factor in female and male rCF, respectively. In addition, E2-induced ERα phosphorylation at Ser118 only in female rCF, whereas Ser105 phosphorylation of ERβ was exclusively found in male rCF. Further, in female rCF we found both ER bound to the collagen I and III promoters using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. In contrast, in male rCF only ERβ bound to both promoters. In engineered connective tissues (ECT) from rCF, collagen I and III mRNA were downregulated in female ECT and up-regulated in male ECT by E2. This was accompanied by an impaired condensation of female ECT, whereas male ECT showed an increased condensation and stiffness upon E2-treatment, analyzed by rheological measurements. Finally, we confirmed the E2-effect on both collagens in an in vivo mouse model with ovariectomy for E2 depletion, E2 substitution, and pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism underlying the sex-specific regulation of collagen I and III in the heart appears to involve E2-mediated differential ERα and ERβ signaling in CFs.
Keywords:	Cardiac Fibroblasts, Collagen I and III, Sex Differences, 17β-Estradiol, Estrogen Receptors, Animals, Mice
Source:	Cardiovascular Research
ISSN:	0008-6363
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Volume:	115
Number:	2
Page Range:	315-327
Date:	1 February 2019
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvy185
External Fulltext:	View full text on PubMed Central
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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