Binding of estrogen receptors to switch sites and regulatory elements in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus of activated B cells suggests a direct influence of estrogen on antibody expression.

ABSTRACT: Females and males differ in antibody isotype expression patterns and in immune responses to foreign- and self-antigens. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus is a condition that associates with the production of isotype-skewed anti-self antibodies, and exhibits a 9:1 female:male disease ratio. To explain differences between B cell responses in males and females, we sought to identify direct interactions of the estrogen receptor (ER) with the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. This effort was encouraged by our previous identification of estrogen response elements (ERE) in heavy chain switch (S) regions. We conducted a full-genome chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis (ChIP-seq) using DNA from LPS-activated B cells and an ERα-specific antibody. Results revealed ER binding to a wide regio

SUBMITTER: Jones BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5010968 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature