MCF-7: A human breast cancer cell line with estrogen, androgen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptors

We have identified receptors for glucocorticoids, progestins, and androgens in a human breast tumor cell line (MCF-7) known to have estrogen receptor. Sucrose density gradients show that MCF-7 cytosol contains approximately 100 fm/mg protein estradiol (E2-3H) receptor, more than 300 fm/mg protein progesterone receptor (measured with R5020-3H), about 40 fm/mg protein 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5alpha-DHT-3H) receptor, and 800 fm/mg glucocorticoid receptor (measured with dexamethasone-3H). Dissociation constants obtained by Scatchard analyses were approximately 0.6 x 10(-10)M (E2), 1 x 10(-9)M (R5020), 2.8 x 10(-10)M (5alpha-DHT) and 8 x 10(-9)M (dexamethasone). No cross competition was found for estrogen receptor, but progestins competed for androgen and glucocorticoid binding. The androgen, but not the glucocorticoid, partially competed for R5020 binding to progesterone receptor. This first demonstration of 4 classes of steroid receptors in human breast cancer means that MCF-7 may be an excellent in vitro model for studying the mechanism of tumor response to endocrine therapy as well as the complex relationships between binding and biological actions of these hormones.