I want to know a gene strongly altered by 17 beta estradiol in human brain endothelial cells, so that i can take that gene as a control for the system.
The one of the most accepted controls is progesterone receptor (PR). Oestrogen stimulated PR expression in majority of oestrogen sensitive tissues, including brain tissues. there is a review with oestrogen signalling in brain that might help you to define oestrogen-responsive genes in brain. see the attached files as references. Oxytocin receptor was suggested as oestrogen-regulated in brain astrocytes as well. you might need to verify the data by yourself using available novel methods and new antibodies before the large scale experiments. Majority of papers with oestrogen signalling are published with cancer cells, so I am not sure what you will find in normal brain cells, however, the PR is the most likely target that I would try first..