Hypothalamic oestrogen receptor alpha establishes a sexually dimorphic regulatory node of energy expenditure

J Edward van Veen, Laura G Kammel, Patricia C Bunda, Michael Shum, Michelle S Reid, Megan G Massa, Douglas V Arneson, Jae W Park, Zhi Zhang, Alexia M Joseph, Haley Hrncir, Marc Liesa, Arthur P Arnold, Xia Yang, Stephanie M Correa 2020.
DOI
10.1038/s42255-020-0189-6

Abstract

Tamoxifen is a critical and inexpensive weapon in the fight against ER+ breast cancer. Unfortunately tamoxifen therapy produces side effects that harm quality of life and limit treatment compliance. Here we present 4 important findings:

  1. Mice respond to tamoxifen therapy in many of the same ways as humans, making mice a valuable model for studying tamoxifen’s side effects.
  2. Tamoxifen treatment affects various hypothalamic cell types, most strikingly neurons and ependymal cells.
  3. Loss of estrogen receptor-alpha reverses