PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Estrogen receptors play anti-inflammatory role in the brain

2011-05-13
(Press-News.org) Researchers have uncovered an unexpected role for estrogen receptors in the brain in keeping inflammation under control. The findings reported in the May 13 issue of the Cell Press journal Cell may have important implications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and many other neurodegenerative diseases. They might also help to explain why women are three times more susceptible to developing MS than men are, researchers say.

"We've really discovered an alternative pathway for estrogen receptors in the brain," said Christopher Glass of the University of California, San Diego.

Estrogen receptors are primarily known to activate programs of gene expression, he explained. In this case, however, estrogen receptors are critical for turning off genes that would otherwise lead to chronic inflammation.

The estrogen receptor (ER) in question is not the classical ERα ones responsible for the sex-specific effects of estrogen. Rather, they are related receptors known as ERβ found in cells of the brain known as microglia and astrocytes. Microglia serve as sentinels of infection and injury in the brain. Upon detection of microbial invasion or evidence of tissue damage, microglia rapidly initiate an inflammatory response that serves to recruit the immune system and tissue repair processes. Among other roles, astrocytes also sense infection and injury, and amplify the immune reaction initiated by microglia.

Both ERα and ERβ respond to the hormone estradiol, the major form of estrogen in humans. Glass and study first author Kaoru Saijo now show that ERβ also responds to a second hormone called ADIOL as well. That ADIOL is converted by special enzymes from its precursor DHEA in microglia.

When levels of either ADIOL or ERβ were experimentally reduced, cells and animals showed an exaggerated inflammatory response. On the other hand, treatment with either ADIOL or synthetic molecules designed to specifically target ERβ prevented inflammation and its effects in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a condition that closely mimics MS in humans.

Although MS is a very complicated disease, the findings suggest drugs targeted at the ERβ receptors might effectively shut down the inflammation that goes along with the disease, Saijo said. The same principle might also work in the treatment of other neurodegenerative conditions associated with inflammation, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and HIV-associated dementia.

The findings might also help to explain the strong sex bias in MS, which disproportionately affects relatively young women. "When ERβ receptors see estradiol, they may kick ADIOL out leaving the brain more susceptible to inflammation," Saijo said. In other words, estradiol and ADIOL compete for ERβ and in that competition estradiol will generally win.

"Although the estrogen receptors (ERs) have been implicated in the etiology of MS, no clear molecular mechanisms link them to relapsing-remitting MS," wrote David Gosselin and Serge Rivest in an accompanying commentary. "Now in this issue of Cell, Saijo and colleagues may have filled in this gap."

In addition to explaining why females develop MS more often than males, Gosselin and Rivest continued, the findings also suggest that birth control medications and environmental factors such as estrogen analogs derived from plants might also promote development of the disease.

"The possibility arises from our study that estradiol can antagonize the anti-inflammatory effects of ADIOL," Glass said. "This may lead to a shift in the balance from anti-inflammatory to inflammatory."

Glass and Saijo say they plan to further explore the role of this pathway in other neurodegenerative diseases. They note that inflammation plays some role in most any of those conditions you can name, though it isn't always clear whether it is a cause or consequence.

ADIOL levels in the blood or spinal fluid might also prove to be a useful biomarker for inflammation, they said. The findings also suggest that genetic variants in this pathway, including in the enzyme needed to produce ADIOL, should be considered prime candidates for MS susceptibility genes.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Oregon Farm to School bill would benefit health through job creation, study finds

2011-05-13
WASHINGTON—A bill in Oregon that would provide incentives to deliver fresh local food to schools would improve the health of the state's residents and, at the same time, create hundreds of new farm-industry jobs over a five- to 10-year period, according to a study released by Upstream Public Health in Portland. The researchers received a grant from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, to conduct a health impact assessment (HIA) on the Farm to School and School Garden legislation, HB 2800. An ...

Evolutionary conservation of fat metabolism pathways

Evolutionary conservation of fat metabolism pathways
2011-05-13
LA JOLLA, CA- By virtue of having survived, all animals-from flies to man-share a common expertise. All can distinguish times of plenty from famine and adjust their metabolism or behavior accordingly. Failure to do so signals either extinction or disease. A collaborative effort by investigators at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies recently revealed just how similarly mammals and insects make critical metabolic adjustments when food availability changes, either due to environmental catastrophe or everyday changes in sleep/wake cycles. Those findings may suggest ...

'Fasting pathway' points the way to new class of diabetes drugs

Fasting pathway points the way to new class of diabetes drugs
2011-05-13
LA JOLLA, CA-A uniquely collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered a novel mechanism that turns up glucose production in the liver when blood sugar levels drop, pointing towards a new class of drugs for the treatment of metabolic disease. Their findings, published in the May 13, 2011, issue of the journal Cell, revealed a crucial role for so called histone deacetylases (HDACs), a group of enzymes that is the target of the latest generation of cancer drugs. HDACs get sugar production rolling when blood glucose levels run low ...

Making History: How Daily Fantasy Sports Are Growing Up

2011-05-13
History is being made this week with the launch of the first ever Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship (DFBC). Hosted by FanDuel.com, the worlds largest daily fantasy sports games site, the DFBC has a prize pool of over $100,000, proving that the daily fantasy sport format is coming of age. The Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship (http://www.fanduel.com/p/DFBC) is the first of its kind. Its a two round tournament with weekly qualifiers being played each Friday from May 13th through September 2nd with a Grand Final on Friday September 9th, 2011. What makes the Championship ...

Cold homes cost lives

2011-05-13
Cold homes cost lives and harm the environment, according to a BMJ editorial published today to coincide with a report commissioned by Friends of the Earth and written by Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The report highlights that every year in the UK there are around 5,500 more deaths in the coldest quarter of houses, than would occur if those houses were warm. The authors, Dr Keith Dear and Professor Anthony McMichael from the Australian National University in Canberra say Marmot's report identifies three gains that could be achieved by improving the insulation in British ...

Trust a large factor in the emotional process of family business succession

2011-05-13
A new study from Family Process shows that passing down a family business is an emotional process, and key factors need to be in place in order for the transition to prove successful. The owner needs to trust other family members' involvement in the long-term plan for the business, and nurture a healthy outlook and plan for their own retirement. In the United States alone there are an estimated 10.8 million family businesses. Only 30% of businesses stay in the family from the first to the second generation. Beyond business-related decisions, such as managing organizational ...

Provo Dentist Launches Practice's New Website for Increased Patient Knowledge and Interaction

2011-05-13
Leading dentist in Provo, UT, Dr. Darren Gardner, is pleased to announce the launch of his practice's state-of-the-art, interactive website. The new educational website was created in order to enhance patient awareness of dental health care and provide information on the practice itself. The new website for this dentist in Provo offers a wide array of valuable tools and information that patients can use to better inform themselves of various dental health care symptoms and treatments. Patients can visit the website via the Internet at any time during their day. With ...

Young British men view knife carrying as a 'legitimate response' to potential threats

2011-05-13
Knife carrying is seen as a legitimate response both to potential threats and to the lack of protection provided by authorities, according to a study of young white British males published in this week's BMJ. In a letter to the journal, Damien Riggs from Flinders University in Australia and Marek Palasinski from Lancaster University in the UK, say that while they appreciate the call for an integrated approach to tackling knife crime, their findings point to further factors that require attention in terms of injury prevention. Their study also found that young men who ...

Galaxy NGC 4214: A star formation laboratory

Galaxy NGC 4214: A star formation laboratory
2011-05-13
Size isn't everything... in astronomy, at least. Dwarf galaxy NGC 4214 may be small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in content. It is packed with everything an astronomer could ask for, from hot, young star-forming regions to old clusters with red supergiants. The intricate patterns of glowing ionised hydrogen gas, cavities blown clear of gas by stellar wind, and bright stellar clusters of NGC 4214 can be seen in this optical and near-infrared image, taken using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. A huge heart-shaped ...

BarcodeLabelPro.com Partners With TrialPay to Give Away Barcode Maker Software

BarcodeLabelPro.com Partners With TrialPay to Give Away Barcode Maker Software
2011-05-13
BarcodeLabelPro.com (http://www.barcodelabelpro.com) announces the free offer of barcode generating software, Accu2000 Barcode Maker at www.barcodelabelPro.com that allows users to get the 1-D version barcode maker at $0 cost when they check out through TrialPay offer. "In a down economy, companies need to streamline and increase efficiency, so they can be more productive with every minute and every dollar," said Dr. Ge, the founder of halfpricesoft.com. "Accu2000 barcode generator is easy-to-use and flexible. We hope this free offer will put customized ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Call for papers: 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment (APTE 2025)

A novel disturbance rejection optimal guidance method for enhancing precision landing performance of reusable rockets

New scan method unveils lung function secrets

Searching for hidden medieval stories from the island of the Sagas

Breakthrough study reveals bumetanide treatment restores early social communication in fragile X syndrome mouse model

Neuroscience leader reveals oxytocin's crucial role beyond the 'love hormone' label

Twelve questions to ask your doctor for better brain health in the new year

Microelectronics Science Research Centers to lead charge on next-generation designs and prototypes

Study identifies genetic cause for yellow nail syndrome

New drug to prevent migraine may start working right away

Good news for people with MS: COVID-19 infection not tied to worsening symptoms

Department of Energy announces $179 million for Microelectronics Science Research Centers

Human-related activities continue to threaten global climate and productivity

Public shows greater acceptance of RSV vaccine as vaccine hesitancy appears to have plateaued

Unraveling the power and influence of language

Gene editing tool reduces Alzheimer’s plaque precursor in mice

TNF inhibitors prevent complications in kids with Crohn's disease, recommended as first-line therapies

Twisted Edison: Bright, elliptically polarized incandescent light

Structural cell protein also directly regulates gene transcription

Breaking boundaries: Researchers isolate quantum coherence in classical light systems

Brain map clarifies neuronal connectivity behind motor function

Researchers find compromised indoor air in homes following Marshall Fire

Months after Colorado's Marshall Fire, residents of surviving homes reported health symptoms, poor air quality

Identification of chemical constituents and blood-absorbed components of Shenqi Fuzheng extract based on UPLC-triple-TOF/MS technology

'Glass fences' hinder Japanese female faculty in international research, study finds

Vector winds forecast by numerical weather prediction models still in need of optimization

New research identifies key cellular mechanism driving Alzheimer’s disease

Trends in buprenorphine dispensing among adolescents and young adults in the US

Emergency department physicians vary widely in their likelihood of hospitalizing a patient, even within the same facility

Firearm and motor vehicle pediatric deaths— intersections of age, sex, race, and ethnicity

[Press-News.org] Estrogen receptors play anti-inflammatory role in the brain