Nuclear estrogen receptor molecular heterogeneity in the mouse uterus.

Holomeric estrogen receptor (ER) prepared from ovariectomized mouse uteri displays heterogeneous electrophoretic mobility when analyzed by NaDodSO4/PAGE. ER derived from nuclei (ERn) appears as a closely spaced doublet having apparent molecular masses of 66.4 and 65 kDa, while ER from the cytosolic compartment (ERc) has a single band of 65 kDa. Both partially purified ERc and the 8S form of unactivated ERc show only the 65-kDa band. The appearance of the ERn doublet is hormonally inducible, and the relative proportions of the two doublet bands are influenced by the type of hormone treatment, with weakly estrogenic compounds yielding the lower band as predominant while potent estrogens increase the proportion of the upper band. Steroid binding of the ERn doublet was determined by [3H]tamoxifen aziridine affinity labeling of both the 66.4- and the 65-kDa peptides; binding to the 65-kDa peptide was predominant. The ERn doublet displays a time dependency after estrogen administration with maximal amounts occurring in a bimodal fashion at 1 and 8 hr.