Estrogen has long been known to play an important role in coordinating the neuroendocrine events that control sexual development, sexual behavior and reproduction. Estrogen actions in other, non-reproductive areas of the brain have also been described. It is now known that estrogen can also influence learning, memory, and emotion and has neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties. The actions of estrogen are largely mediated through at least two intracellular estrogen receptors. Both estrogen receptor-alpha and estrogen receptor-beta are expressed in a wide variety of brain regions. Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha), however, undergoes developmental and brain region-specific changes in expression. The precise molecular mechanisms that regulate its expression at the level of gene transcription are not well understood. Adding to the complexity of its regulation, the estrogen receptor gene contains multiple promoters that drive its expression. In the cortex in particular, the ERalpha mRNA expression is dynamically regulated during postnatal development and again following neuronal injury. Epigenetic modification of chromatin is increasingly being understood as a mechanism of neuronal gene regulation. This review examines the potential regulation of the ERalpha gene by such epigenetic mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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脑中雌激素受体-α 基因表达的动态调节：启动子甲基化的作用？

众所周知，雌激素在协调控制性发育、性行为和生殖的神经内分泌事件方面发挥着重要作用。雌激素在大脑其他非生殖区域的作用也有描述。现在已知雌激素还可以影响学习、记忆和情绪，并具有神经营养和神经保护特性。雌激素的作用主要通过至少两个细胞内雌激素受体介导。雌激素受体-α 和雌激素受体-β 在多种脑区均有表达。然而，雌激素受体-α (ERalpha) 会经历发育和大脑区域特定的表达变化。在基因转录水平调节其表达的精确分子机制尚不清楚。雌激素受体基因包含多个驱动其表达的启动子，这增加了其调控的复杂性。特别是在皮质中，ERalpha mRNA 表达在出生后发育和神经元损伤后再次受到动态调节。染色质的表观遗传修饰越来越被理解为神经元基因调控的一种机制。这篇综述通过这种表观遗传机制检查了 ERalpha 基因的潜在调控。