Progesterone receptors in human breast cancer. Stoichiometric translocation and nuclear receptor processing

In a subline of T47D human breast cancer cells, progesterone receptors (PR) are synthesized at very high levels, but their synthesis is not estrogen-dependent. Despite the unusual control of synthesis, the physicochemical properties of PR are normal. These are, therefore, ideal cells to study PR regulation by progesterone, free of estrogen effects. In this paper, we show that nuclear translocation of PR is stoichiometric, and that an unusual and very rapid nuclear turnover, or processing step, characterizes receptor-DNA interactions. In intact T47D cells, PR are translocated to the nucleus only by progestins; 70-90% of cytoplasmic receptors are depleted at 37 degrees C within 5 min of progestin addition. After PR are translocated by 0.1 muM progesterone, they can be quantitatively recovered from nuclei only in the first 5 min; thereafter, a rapid nuclear processing step results in loss of 50-80% of the newly translocated sites. Rapid processing may be inherent to PR; it also occurs in PR of MCF-7 cells. The extent of receptor translocation and of nuclear receptor processing is dependent on the progesterone concentration and on the treatment time, and can be masked by endogenous hormones. Proteolytic enzyme inhibitors (leupeptin, antipain) do not prevent nuclear PR loss. G-C specific DNA intercalators that prevent nuclear estrogen receptor processing (actinomycin D, chromomycin A3) also fail to prevent PR loss, but some A-T specific DNA-binding dyes (chloroquine, primaquine, quinacrine) protect 50-75% of nuclear PR. We conclude that translocated nuclear PR can be quantitatively measured only at early time points because the nuclear receptors are rapidly processed. Furthermore, the processing step may involve an interaction of receptors with DNA since it can be partially blocked by DNA-binding agents.