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Evidence for a Potential Role of Estrogen in the Penis: Detection of Estrogen Receptor- and -ß Messenger Ribonucleic Acid and Protein

Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine (S.J., I.S., A.K.) and Pharmacology (N.M., H.T., Y.H.), Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine; Laboratory of Anatomy (C.N.M.), Hokkaido University Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine; and Department of Environmental Medicine and Informatics (A.S.), Hokkaido University Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Chishimba Nathan Mowa, Department of Neurobiology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, P.O. Box 95, Rootstown, Ohio 44272-0095. E-mail: chishimba{at}lycos.com.

Body tissues are traditionally classified as estrogen targets based on both the response to the hormone and the presence of estrogen receptors (ERs). We undertook the study on expression of ER and ERß in the penis to identify compartments/cells responsive to estrogen, using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, in situ hybridization, and RT-PCR analyses. Expressions of ER and ERß in the rat penis were age dependent at both mRNA and protein levels, with the most intense signals being observed during the perinatal period and declining thereafter with age. Initial signals (fetal d 17) of ER were localized to the mesenchyme and subepithelial stroma and later (postnatal d 2) to the corpus spongiosus, corpus cavernosus, and urethral epithelia. ERß was initially detected by postnatal d 2 and was localized diffusely in corpus spongiosus and cavernosus in immature rats. In the adult, both ERs were concentrated largely to the urethral epithelia and vascular and neuronal structures. The present study provides the first evidence for ER expression in the penis. Thus, our data add the penis to the list of estrogen-responsive tissues in males and provide a base and insight for future studies aimed at investigating a functional role of estrogen in the penis, especially in development.

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