Different expression of alpha and beta mitochondrial estrogen receptors in the aging rat brain: interaction with...

Recent evidence suggests that hormonal effects on mitochondria could be mediated by mitochondrial estrogen receptors (mtERs). These receptors are new candidates for the beneficial estrogenic effects on mitochondria in different physiological conditions. The aim of this investigation was to study mtER expression during brain aging. We analyzed mtERalpha and mtERbeta expression in cortical, hippocampal and hypothalamic mitochondria of young adult (3months) and aged (18 months) female Wistar rats by Western blot. In addition, we explored the interaction of mtERbeta with respiratory complex V by using coimmunoprecipitation assays. The results show that mtERalpha and mtERbeta are present in young and aged brain mitochondria. We also demonstrate that mtERs are expressed as variants and have a brain region specific distribution. The predominant mtER variants detected were of 61 and 55KDa for mtERalpha and of 63 and 52KDa for mtERbeta. However, we did not observe differences in the mtERalpha or beta content between the two age groups studied. Additionally, we show that mtERbeta interacts with complex V. The overall results demonstrate that there is a differential expression of mtERalpha and mtERbeta variants in different brain areas, indicating that they may participate in different functions in the brain during aging.