Disproportional body growth in female estrogen receptor-α-inactivated mice

O. Vidal, M. Lindberg, L. Sävendahl, D. B. Lubahn, E. M. Ritzen, J. Å Gustafsson, C. Ohlsson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

78 Scopus citations

Abstract

Estrogens play an important role in the regulation of longitudinal bone growth in man, as demonstrated by recent descriptions of individuals with estrogen insensitivity or aromatase deficiency. Two estrogen receptors, ERα and ERβ, have been cloned. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function of ERα in the regulation of body growth and skeletal growth. Adult female mice with inactivated ERα (ERα-/-) demonstrated an increased body weight compared with wild-type mice (114% of control). However, the length of the appendicular skeleton was decreased in adult ERα-/- mice (femur 93% of control). In contrast, the axial skeleton was normal (crown-rump length 98% of control). The decreased growth of the appendicular skeleton was associated with decreased serum levels of IGF-I (77% of control), indicating that the GH/IGF-I axis may be involved in the decreased longitudinal bone growth seen in female ERα-/- mice.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)569-571
Number of pages3
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume265
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 19 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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