Expression of steroid receptors in palatine tonsils

Abstract This study was undertaken to investigate the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and androgen receptor (AR) in human palatine tonsils by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Human palatine tonsils were obtained from performing tonsillectomy in three patients with recurrent tonsillitis and from one patient with tonsillar hypertrophy. By RT-PCR analysis, GR, ERα, ERβ and mRNA were detected in all four cases. However, PR and AR mRNA were found in only two cases. Antibodies to GR showed the presence of GR within all cells of tonsillar tissues with the highest quantities of GR localized in extrafollicular area. The immunohistochemical analysis of sex steroid receptor to the tonsillar tissues revealed that ERα positive cells existed in both germinal centre and extrafollicular area, and that ERβ positive cells localized in lymphoepithelial symbiosis lesion. However, neither PR nor AR positive cells were detected in any of the samples tested. These results suggest that these steroid receptors may play an important role in upper airway diseases.