Subcellular localization of triphenylethylene antiestrogen binding sites (TABS) in rat liver

The subcellular distribution of triphenylethylene anti-estrogen binding sites (TABS) was examined in the rat liver. Nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions were prepared by differential centrifugation, extracted with 0.5 M KCl and bound [3H]tamoxifen was determined by the dextran coated charcoal method. The relative concentration of TABS in each fractions were: nuclear 30.2; mitochondrial, 14.8 and microsomal, 10.2 pmol/g tissues. No TABS were detected in the high speed cytosol. The dissociation constants of nuclear and mitochondrial TABS were similar (1-2 nM); however, a higher number was obtained for microsomal TABS (5-6 mM). The ability of other triphenylethylene drugs to compete for [3H]tamoxifen binding to TABS was similar to tamoxifen for mitochondrial and microsomal sites. In contrast, nafoxidine was a more potent inhibitory for nuclear TABS. Exposure of high salt nuclear extracts to charcoal prior to assay did not reveal any evidence for an endogenous ligand of high affinity. We conclude that TABS are present in nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of rat liver and that the nuclear fraction contains the highest concentration of these sites.