Estrogen stimulates the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in midbrain astroglia

Estrogen stimulates the development of midbrain dopamine neurons predominan tly by acting through membrane receptors coupled to Ca2+-signaling. In this report, we describe that estrogen activates extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in midbrain astrocytes but not neurons. This effect was i nhibited by BAPTA which interrupts Ca2+-signaling but not by antagonists sp ecific for other signaling pathways. The activation of the MAP kinase pathw ay suggests a potential role for astrocytes in mediating estrogen effects i n the midbrain. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.