Fluorescently-Labeled Estradiol Internalization and Membrane Trafficking in Live N-38 Neuronal Cells Visualized with Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Estradiol is a steroid hormone that binds and activates estradiol receptors. Activation of these receptors is known to modulate neuronal physiology and provide neuroprotection, but it is not completely understood how estradiol mediates these actions on the nervous system. Activation of a sub-population of estradiol receptor-α (ERα), originally identified as a nuclear protein, localizes to the plasma membrane and appears to be a critical step in...