Treatment of rats with 17β-estradiol or relaxin rapidly inhibits uterine estrogen receptor β1 and β2 messenger ribonucleic acid levels

Estrogen regulates the growth and differentiation of the uterus via binding to estrogen receptors (ERs), members of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. Two forms of ER exist: ERalpha and ERbeta. The former is a well-characterized mediator of estrogen-induced transcription, but the function of the latter is unclear. Recent in vitro studies suggest that both splicing forms of ERbeta expressed in rat tissues, beta1 and beta2, may function as inhibitors of ERalpha transcriptional activity. To gain insight into the role of ERR in estrogen action, we examined the effects of estrogen and relaxin, a ligand-independent activator of ERs, on the expression of ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 mRNA in the uterus in vivo. Eighteen-day-old female rats were ovariectomized and, after recovery, treated with 17beta-estradiol, relaxin, or vehicle. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses of uterine RNA from estrogen-treated animals revealed marked decreases in the steady-state levels of the mRNAs for both ERbeta1 and ERbeta2 at 3, 6, and 24 h after treatment. Relaxin induced a similar effect. Neither hormone had any significant effect on ERalpha mRNA levels. To determine if endogenous estrogen exerts this effect, we examined the expression of ERbetas in the uterus during the estrous cycle. Levels of both isoforms were highest at diestrus (low estrogen), were significantly lower at early proestrus (rising estrogen), reached a nadir during late proestrus (peak estrogen), and rebounded at estrus (declining estrogen). These data suggest that down-regulation of ERR expression may be required for estrogen to exert its full trophic effects on the uterus.