Abstract
To estimate the clinical significance of estrogen receptor (ER) β in breast cancer we reviewed some reports and compared them with our preliminary results. The structure of ER β is similar to that of ER α. The DNA binding domain of ER β is 96% conserved compared with ER α, and the ligand binding domain shows 58% conserved residues, suggesting that both receptors can bind estrogen responsive elements on target genes and that they may also bind similar ligand. The target tissues of ER β such as testis, prostate, lung, brain, thymus, and ovary, are different from those of ER α, ovary, uterus, endometrium, and breast. Although the function of ER β in breast cancer progression is not well understood, 30-50% of breast cancers may express ER β mRNA signals. Additionally, ER β may be a useful prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer, because tumors that co-expressed ER α and ER β might be node positive and tend to be of higher grade. Further characterization of the function of ER β and its isoforms in breast cancer is warranted.
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Abbreviations
- ER:
-
Estrogen receptor
- RT-PCR:
-
Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
- ERE:
-
Estrogen responsive element
- ISH:
-
In situ hybridization
- IHC:
-
Immunohistochemistry
- AF-1:
-
Activation function-1
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Iwase, H., Omoto, Y., Toyama, T. et al. Clinical significance of estrogen receptor β in breast cancer. Breast Cancer 6, 325–330 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966448
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966448