17beta-estradiol and ICI-182780 regulate the hair follicle cycle in mice through an estrogen receptor-alpha pathway.

Author(s): Chanda S, Robinette CL, Couse JF, Smart RC

Affiliation(s): Molecular and Cellular Toxicology, Department of Toxicology, Physiological Sciences and Radiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.

Publication date & source: 2000-02, Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab., 278(2):E202-10.

Publication type:

Estradiol (E(2)) applied topically twice weekly to mouse skin at doses as low as 1 nmol inhibited hair growth by blocking the transition of the hair follicle from the resting phase (telogen) to the growth phase (anagen). In contrast, application of </=10 nmol of other steroids produced limited inhibition. Topical treatment with the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI-182780 reversed the effects of E(2), and when applied alone, ICI-182780 caused a telogen-to-anagen transition. Both E(2) and ICI-182780 were highly effective at their site of application but not at distant sites, indicating the direct rather than secondary systemic nature of their effects. Western analysis detected a 65-kDa ER-alpha immunoreactive dermal protein, and Northern analysis revealed the presence of a 6.7-kb ER-alpha mRNA. A ribonuclease protection assay confirmed the presence of ER-alpha transcripts but failed to detect ER-beta transcripts. These findings implicate a skin-specific ER-alpha pathway in the regulation of the hair follicle cycle.