17-beta-estradiol suppresses IL-2 and IL-2 receptor

Citation
Rw. Mcmurray et al., 17-beta-estradiol suppresses IL-2 and IL-2 receptor, CYTOKINE, 14(6), 2001, pp. 324-333
Citations number
74
Categorie Soggetti
Cell & Developmental Biology
Journal title
CYTOKINE
ISSN journal
10434666 → ACNP
Volume
14
Issue
6
Year of publication
2001
Pages
324 - 333
Database
ISI
SICI code
1043-4666(20010621)14:6<324:1SIAIR>2.0.ZU;2-J
Abstract
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays an important role in adaptive immune responses. These responses differ between females and males and may be due to the sex steroid estrogen. In this investigation we show that estrogen suppresses IL -2 production from activated peripheral blood T cells and CD4+ T cell lines at the transcriptional level. Suppression of IL-2 occurred at short term, high 17-beta -estradiol concentrations as well as longer term lower 17-beta -estradiol concentrations. In CD4+ Jurkat T cells, suppression of IL-2 was associated with decreased nuclear binding of two important IL-2 promoter t ranscription factors: NF kappaB and AP-1. The decreased nuclear binding of NF kappaB occurred in the setting of estrogen-induced increases in I kappaB alpha protein levels, an important inhibitor of NF kappaB nuclear transloc ation. 17-beta -Estradiol was also shown to inhibit IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) e xpression in activated peripheral blood T cells. Estrogen-induced suppressi on of IL-2 and its receptor may have many ramifications for our understandi ng of immune and autoimmune sexual dichotomies, immune responses during pre gnancy, and potential therapeutic intervention with hormone agonists and an tagonists. (C) 2001 Academic Press.