LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTORS IN HUMAN ADIPOSE-TISSUE

We have previously presented data indicating the absence of estrogen a nd progesterone receptors from human adipose tissue by the use of spec ific antibodies (Abbott) as well as specific ligands. In addition, spe cific estrogen and progesterone cRNA probes did not hybridize to any m RNA species in either abdominal or gluteal/femoral adipose tissue as d emonstrated by solution hybridization and Northern blot. In order to d emonstrate even extremely small quantities of gene products we have no w used the Polymerase chain reaction-technique to study estrogen- and progesterone receptor gene expression. Sequences corresponding to each specific cDNA were demonstrated indicating small amounts of estrogen- and progesterone receptor mRNA not detected by RNA/RNA or RNA/TNA (to tal nucleic acids) hybridization assays. The estrogen receptor-regulat ed gene pS2, however, was not induced by estrogens in human adipose ti ssue in contrast to a significant increase in pS2 mRNA levels after es trogen exposure to the estrogen receptor(+) cell line MCF7. From these results we conclude that estrogen- and progesterone receptors are abs ent from human adipose tissue and that the extremely low level of tran scription of the corresponding genes is not sufficient to allow transl ation of the message into functional proteins.