Summary
A cell line containing estrogen receptors (MCF-7) and a cell line lacking estrogen receptors (PC-93) were used for a comparison of biochemical and histochemical procedures to detect estrogen receptors. We evaluated three different fluorescent estrogen derivatives: 17β-estradiol-6-carboxymethyloxime-bovine serum albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate, 17β-estradiol-17-hemisuccinate-fluoresceinamine, and coumestrol. The main results were: 1. The relative binding affinities of these ligands for the estrogen receptor were between 0.1 and 2% of the affinity of estradiol. 2. Fluorescent staining of the cells showed no relation to the presence of estrogen receptors. 3. Staining was not suppressed with excess estradiol- 17β, which is known to prevent binding of low affinity ligands to estrogen receptors. 4. Cells with intact membranes were not stained after treatment with the albumin-linked estrogen derivative; only cells with damaged cell membranes were stained. 5. Treatment of cells with 17β-estradiol-17-hemisuccinate-fluoresceinamine resulted in a fluorescent labeling of the cytoplasm in intact and artificially damaged cells. 6. Coumestrol caused only fluorescence of the cytoplasm in intact cells.
It is concluded that estrogen receptors cannot be detected with these low affinity ligands. Fluorescence of these cells is probably due to binding of the ligands to low affinity binding sites. The presence of these low affinity binding sites appears not to be related to the presence or absence of estrogen receptors and can therefore not be used to discriminate between estrogen receptor-positive and receptor-negative tumor cells.
References
McGuire WL: Steroid hormone receptors in breast cancer treatment strategy. Recent Prog Horm Res 36:135–156, 1980
Nenci I, Beccati MD, Piffanelli A, Lanza G: Detection and dynamic localization of estradiol-receptor complexes in intact target cells by immunofluorescence technique. J Steroid Biochem 7:505–510, 1976
Nenci I, Beccati MD, Pagnini CA: Estrogen receptors and post-receptor markers in human breast cancer: a reappraisal. Tumori 64:161–174, 1978
Pertschuk LP: Detection of estrogen binding in human mammary carcinoma by immunofluorescence: a new technique utilizing the binding hormone in a polymerized state. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 14:771–774, 1976
Pertschuk LP, Tobin EH, Brigati DJ, Kim DS, Bloom ND, Gaetjens E, Berman PJ, Carter AC, Degenshein GA: Immuno-fluorescent detection of estrogen receptors in breast cancer: comparison with dextran-coated charcoal and sucrose gradient assays. Cancer 41:907–911, 1978
Barrows GH, Stroupe SB, Riehm JD: Nuclear uptake of a 17β-estradiol fluorescein derivative as a marker of estrogen dependence. Am J Clin Pathol 73:330–339, 1980
Nenci I, Dandliker WB, Meyers CY, Marchetti E, Marzola A, Fabris G: Estrogen receptor cytochemistry by fluorescent estrogen. J Histochem Cytochem 28:1081–1088, 1980
Pertschuk LP, Tobin EH, Gaetjens E, Carter AC, Degenshein GA, Bloom ND, Brigati DJ: Histochemical assay of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer: correlation with biochemical assays and patients response to endocrine therapies. Cancer 46:2896–2901, 1980
Pertschuk LP, Tobin EH, Tanapat P, Gaetjens E, Carter AC, Bloom ND, Macchia RJ, Eisenberg KB: Histochemical analyses of steroid hormone receptors in breast and prostate carcinoma. J Histochem Cytochem 28:779–810, 1980
Pertschuk LP, Tobin EH, Carter AC, Eisenberg KB, Leo VC, Gaetjens E, Bloom ND: Immunohistologic and histochemical methods for detection of steroid binding in breast cancer: a reappraisal. Breast Cancer Res Treat 1:297–314, 1981
Lee SH: The histochemistry of estrogen receptors. Histochemistry 71:491–500, 1981
Lee YL, Notides AC, Tsay YG, Kende AS: Coumestrol, NBD-norhexestrol, and Dansyl-norhexestrol, fluorescent probes of estrogen binding proteins. Biochemistry 16:2896–2901, 1977
Lee SH: Cellular estrogen and progesterone receptors in mammary carcinoma. Am J Clin Pathol 73:323–329, 1980
Yellin OT: Estradiol 17β-hemisuccinate: an improved procedure. J Lipid Res 13:554–555, 1972
Joyce BG, Nicholson RI, Morton MS, Griffiths K: Studies with steroid-fluorescein conjugates on oestrogen target tissues. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 18:1147–1155, 1982
Mulder E, Peters MJ, de Vries J, van der Molen HJ, Ostgaard K, Eik-Nes KB, Oftebro R: Androgen receptor specificity and growth response of a human cell line (NHIK 3025). Mol Cell Endocrinol 11:309–323, 1978
Van Beurden-Lamers WMO, Brinkmann AO, Mulder E, van der Molen HJ: High affinity binding of oestradiol-17β by cytosols from testis interstitial tissue, pituitary, adrenal, liver, and accessory sex glands of the male rat. Biochem J 140:495–502, 1974
Chamness GC, Huff K, McGuire WL: Protamine-precipitated estrogen receptor: a solid-phase ligand exchange assay. Steroids 25:627–635, 1975
Mulder E, Vrij L, Foekens JA: Extraction of nuclear androgen receptors from rat prostate with different reagents. Mol Cell Endocrinol 23:283–296, 1981
Williams D, Gorski J: Preparation and characterization of free cell suspensions from the immature rat uterus. Biochemistry 12:297–306, 1973
Bradford MM: A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254, 1976
Underwood JCE, Sher E, Reed M, Eisman JA, Martin TJ: Biochemical assessment of histochemical methods for estrogen receptor localization. J Clin Pathol 35: 401–406, 1982
Chamness GC, Mercer WD, McGuire WL: Are histochemical methods for estrogen receptor valid? J Histochem Cytochem 28:792–798, 1980
Chamness GC, McGuire WL: Questions about histochemical methods for steroid receptors. Arch Pathol Lab Med 106:53–54, 1982
Lee SH: Cytochemical study of estrogen receptor in human mammary cancer. Am J Clin Pathol 70:197–203, 1978
McCarty KS Jr, Woodard BH, Nichols DE, Wilkinson W, McCarty KS Sr: Comparison of biochemical and histochemical techniques for estrogen receptor analyses in mammary carcinoma. Cancer 46:2842–2845, 1980
Rao BR, Fry CG, Hunt S, Kuhnel R, Dandliker WB: A fluorescent probe for rapid detection of estrogen receptors. Cancer 46-2902–2906, 1980
Martin PM, Horwitz KB, Ryan DS, McGuire WL: Phytoestrogen interaction with estrogen receptors in human breast cancer cells. Endocrinology 103:1860–1867, 1978
Clark JH, Hardin JW, Upchurch S, Eriksson H: Heterogeneity of estrogen binding sites in the cytosol of the rat uterus: J Biol Chem 253:7630–7634, 1978
Panko WB, Mattioli CA, Wheeler TM: Lack of correlation of a histochemical method for estrogen receptor analysis with the biochemical assay results. Cancer 49:2148–2152, 1982
Martin PM, Benyahia B, Magdelenat H, Katzenellenbogen JA: A new approach for the visualization of estrogen receptors in target tissues (Abstract). J Steroid Biochem 17:xl, 1982
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berns, E.M.J.J., Mulder, E., Rommerts, F.F.G. et al. Fluorescent ligands, used in histocytochemistry, do not discriminate between estrogen receptor-positive and receptor-negative human tumor cell lines. Breast Cancer Res Tr 4, 195–204 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806485
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806485