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Estrogen augments the T cell-dependent but not the T-independent immune response

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An Erratum to this article was published on 16 May 2010

Abstract

Estrogen plays a critical regulatory role in the development and maintenance of immunity. Its role in the regulation of antibody synthesis in vivo is still not completely clear. Here, we have compared the effect of estrogen on T cell-dependent (TD) and T cell-independent type 2 (TI-2) antibody responses. The results provide the first evidence that estrogen enhances the TD but not the TI-2 response. Ovariectomy significantly decreased, while estrogen re-administration increased the number of hapten-specific IgM- and IgG-producing cells in response to TD antigen. In vitro experiments also show that estrogen may have a direct impact on B and T cells by inducing rapid signaling events, such as Erk and AKT phosphorylation, cell-specific Ca2+ signal, and NFκB activation. These non-transcriptional effects are mediated by classical estrogen receptors and partly by an as yet unidentified plasma membrane estrogen receptor. Such receptor- mediated rapid signals may modulate the in vivo T cell-dependent immune response.

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Abbreviations

AEC:

3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole

[Ca2+]i :

Intracellular free Ca2+

CLSM:

Confocal laser scanning microscopy

DCC-FCS:

Dextran-coated charcoal-treated foetal calf serum

αE2:

17α-Estradiol

βE2:

17β-Estradiol

eNOS:

Endothelial isoform of NO synthase

ERα:

Nuclear estrogen receptor α

ERβ:

Nuclear estrogen receptor β

HRT:

Hormone replacement therapy

KLH:

Keyhole limpet hemocyanin

OVX:

Ovariectomised

SHAM:

Sham-operated

SLE:

Systhemic lupus erythematosus

TD:

T cell dependent

TI-2:

T cell independent type 2

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Hungarian National Science and Research Development Foundation (OTKA T047217 and T049696), the NKFP-1-A/040/2004, Pázmány grant 06/2006 from Hungarian National Office of Research and Technology Development, and by the Department of Physiology at University of Otago and University of Otago Research Grant. The financial support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is also gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank Arpad Mikesy for the care and maintenance of mice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Mónika Ádori, Zsuzsanna Barad, Edda Kiszely, Andrea Schneider, Erna Sziksz, János Matkó & Gabriella Sármay

  2. Department of Physiology, Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Zsuzsanna Barad & István M. Ábrahám

  3. Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Klaudia Barabás

  4. Immunology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Endre Kiss, János Matkó & Gabriella Sármay

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  1. Mónika Ádori
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  2. Endre Kiss
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  3. Zsuzsanna Barad
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to István M. Ábrahám or Gabriella Sármay.

Additional information

M. Ádori and E. Kiss contributed equally.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00018-010-0397-4

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Ádori, M., Kiss, E., Barad, Z. et al. Estrogen augments the T cell-dependent but not the T-independent immune response. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 67, 1661–1674 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-010-0270-5

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