ArticleNature communications2017
Insufficient antibody validation challenges oestrogen receptor beta research.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 136 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
136 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 250 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association Between Estrogen Receptors and GATA3 in Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Clinicopathological Significance.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Pooled it
- Estrogen Receptor Beta Isoforms Interplay Integrates Nuclear and Extra-Nuclear Signaling to Modulate Human Granulosa Cell Growth.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Article
- Sex differences in hepatitis A virus infection in mice.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Inadequate antibody validation places substantial numbers of animal and human tissue samples at risk of waste.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Actionable solutions to address antibody validation failures.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Discovery and Characterization of Inhibitors of Ubiquitin-Like Modifier Activating Enzyme 5 (UBA5): Targeting the UFMylation Pathway in Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases.ACS chemical biology · 2026Article
- Comprehensive transcript and protein profiling reveals ERα rather than ERβ as the predominant estrogen receptor in human endometriotic lesions.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Technologies to measure and modulate protein subcellular localization.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026Review
- Pan-tissue transcriptomic profiling of dairy cattle.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Estrogen receptor alpha and beta chromatin interactions govern ovarian folliculogenesis but dissipate during ovulation.Endocrinology · 2026Article
- Estrogen receptor β target gene expression reveals novel repressive functions in aggressive breast cancer.NPJ breast cancer · 2026Article
- ChIP happens: from biochemical origins to the modern omics toolbox for understanding steroid hormone receptors.The Biochemical journal · 2026Review
- Optimized selection of specific antibodies against rodent ESR1 proteins and their application for immunohistochemistry and dual immunohistofluorescence with the specific anti-ESR2 antibody PPZ0506.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2026Article
- Antibody-Based Multiplex Image Analysis: Standard Analytical Workflows and Artificial Intelligence Tools for Pathologists.Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology · 2025Review
- A consensus platform for antibody characterization.Nature protocols · 2025Article
- Unravelling the conundrum of nucleolar NR2F1 localization using antibody-based approaches in vitro and in vivo.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Interaction between Estrogen Receptors and p53: A Broader Role for Tamoxifen?Endocrinology · 2025Review
- Recent advances in understanding the role of sex hormone receptors in urothelial cancer.Oncology research · 2025Review
- Antibody characterization is critical to enhance reproducibility in biomedical research.eLife · 2024Review
- Genes Co-Expressed withInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
76 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The discovery of oestrogen receptor β (ERβ/ESR2) was a landmark discovery. Its reported expression and homology with breast cancer pharmacological target ERα (ESR1) raised hopes for improved endocrine therapies. After 20 years of intense research, this has not materialized. We here perform a rigorous validation of 13 anti-ERβ antibodies, using well-characterized controls and a panel of validation methods. We conclude that only one antibody, the rarely used monoclonal PPZ0506, specifically targets ERβ in immunohistochemistry. Applying this antibody for protein expression profiling in 44 normal and 21 malignant human tissues, we detect ERβ protein in testis, ovary, lymphoid cells, granulosa cell tumours, and a subset of malignant melanoma and thyroid cancers. We do not find evidence of expression in normal or cancerous human breast. This expression pattern aligns well with RNA-seq data, but contradicts a multitude of studies. Our study highlights how inadequately validated antibodies can lead an exciting field astray.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.