Through intracellular receptors, estrogens control growth, differentiation and function of not only reproductive tissues, but also other systems. Estrogen receptors are ligand-dependent transcription factors whose activity is modulated either by estrogens, or by alternative intracellular signaling pathways downstream of growth factors and neurotransmitters. To determine the dynamics of estrogen receptor activity and the dependence of estrogen receptor on 17beta-estradiol in vivo, we generated a transgenic mouse that expresses a luciferase reporter gene under the control of activated estrogen receptors. As expected, luciferase activity, monitored with a cooled charged coupled device camera, paralleled circulating estrogen levels in reproductive tissues and in liver, indicating that the peak transcriptional activity of the estrogen receptor occurred at proestrus. In contrast, in tissues such as bone and brain, the peak activity of estrogen receptors was observed at diestrus. These tissue-specific responses are masked when mice undergo conventional hormone treatment. We also demonstrate that estrogen receptors are active in immature mice before gonadal production of sex hormones as well as in ovariectomized adult mice. These findings emphasize the importance of hormone-independent activation of the estrogen receptor, and have implications for the therapeutic use of estrogens, such as hormone replacement therapy.

In the uterus insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling can be initiated by estradiol acting through its nuclear receptor (estrogen receptor (ER)) to stimulate the local synthesis of IGF-1. Conversely, in vitro studies have demonstrated that estradiol-independent ER transcriptional activity can be induced by IGF-1 signaling, providing evidence for a cross-talk mechanism between IGF-1 and ER. To investigate whether ER␣ is required for uterine responses to IGF-1 in vivo, both wild-type (WT) and ER␣ knockout (␣ERKO) mice were administered IGF-1, and various uterine responses to IGF-1 were compared. In both WT and ␣ERKO mice, IGF-1 treatment resulted in phosphorylation of uterine IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and formation of an IGF-1R/insulin receptor substrate-1/ phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling complex. In addition, IGF-1 stimulated phosphorylation of uterine Akt and MAPK in both WT and ␣ERKO mice. However, IGF-1 treatment stimulated BrdUrd incorporation and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in WT uteri only. To determine whether ER␣ can be activated in vivo by IGF-1 signaling, transgenic mice carrying a luciferase gene driven by two estrogen response elements (ERE-luciferase mice) were utilized. Treatment of ovariectomized ERE-luciferase mice with IGF-1 resulted in an increase in uterine luciferase activity that was attenuated in the presence of the ER antagonist ICI 182,780. Together these data demonstrate that 1) functional signaling proximal to IGF-1R is maintained in the ␣ERKO mouse uterus, 2) ER␣ is necessary for IGF-1 induction of uterine nuclear proliferative responses, and 3) cross-talk between IGF-1R and ER signaling pathways exists in vivo.Epithelial cells of the mammalian uterus undergo a wave of DNA synthesis followed by mitosis in response to 17␤-estradiol (E 2 ), 1 which regulates the transcription of numerous target genes by binding to and activating the nuclear estrogen receptor (ER). Among the genes identified as targets for regulation by the E 2 /ER complex in the uterus is that encoding insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Studies have demonstrated that rodent uterine IGF-1 mRNA levels increase after exposure to E 2 (1, 2). Furthermore, presumably through increasing local production of IGF-1, E 2 has been shown to stimulate uterine IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling as measured by tyrosine phosphorylation of IGF-1R and the formation of a signaling complex composed of IGF-1R, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and p85, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) (3, 4). These studies suggested that IGF-1 signaling is involved in E 2 -induced uterine growth, and in support of this mechanism, other studies have shown that, like E 2 , IGF-1 can induce DNA synthesis in cells of the rodent uterus (5). A more recent study further demonstrated a role for IGF-1 in E 2 -induced uterine proliferation by demonstrating that IGF-1 is required for E 2 -induced uterine epithelial cell mitosis (6). In that study, DNA synthesis occurred in IGF-1 knockout (IGF-1KO) m...

We investigated the tissue-specific effects of dichlorodyphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) isomers in adult and suckling newborn mice, using a novel mouse line engineered to express a reporter of estrogen receptor transcriptional activity (ERE-tkLUC mouse). The DDT isomers p,p'-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane] and o,p'-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2(p-chlorophenyl)-2-(o-chlorophenyl) ethane] were specifically selected as a weak and a strong estrogen, respectively. In adult male mice, p,p'-DDT induced luciferase activity in liver, brain, thymus, and prostate but not in heart and lung. The effect of p,p'-DDT was dose-dependent, maximal at 16 h after sc treatment, and completely blocked by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI-182,780. In all the organs analyzed, except the liver, administration of o,p'-DDT showed a pattern of luciferase induction superimposable to that of its isomer p,p'-DDT. In liver, o,p'-DDT significantly decreased basal luciferase activity and blocked the reporter induction by 17beta-estradiol. These data lead us to hypothesize that a modulation of ER activity may be involved in the toxic effects of DDT demonstrated by epidemiological and experimental studies. Luciferase activity was also studied in 4-d-old mice lactating from a mother injected with either p,p'-DDT or o,p'-DDT. Both isomers induced a 2-fold increase in the newborn brain. An opposite effect was observed in liver, where p,p'-DDT increased and o,p'-DDT decreased luciferase, thus indicating that these compounds modulate ER activity in adult and newborn tissues by use of a similar mechanism. The ERE-tkLUC mouse proves to be a suitable tool to functionally assess the tissue specificity of estrogenic/antiestrogenic compounds in adult (as well as in suckling) mice.

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