The biological action of cDNAs from mutated estrogen receptors transfected into breast cancer cells

While tamoxifen may inhibit breast cancer proliferation, mutations in the estrogen receptor could potentially result in breast cancer cells which can circumvent the tamoxifen blockade. Previously, we identified a mutation at codon 351 in the estrogen receptor from a tamoxifen-stimulated human breast cancer. This receptor was stably transfected into the estrogen receptor-negative human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 (clone 10A). Clones were compared to stably transfected cell lines containing either the wild type or codon 400 mutant estrogen receptor to study the effect of either estradiol or the tamoxifen analogue, fixed-ring 4-hydroxytamoxifen ((fr)4-OH TAM), on cell growth and reporter gene activation. (fr)4-OH TAM reduced the growth rate in cell lines containing mutant estrogen receptors, while the cell line containing the wild type estrogen receptor is minimally influenced by (fr)4-OH TAM. We then needed to show that the ligand-estrogen receptor interaction resulted in estrogen receptor activation. As a ligand-dependent transcription factor, estrogen receptor activation is measured by its ability to stimulate reporter gene (luciferase) transcription when bound to an estrogenic ligand. We found that the wild type estrogen receptor is activated by estradiol but not by the tamoxifen analogue, while the codon 351 estrogen receptor is activated by both (fr)4-OH TAM and estradiol.