Histochemical detection of oestrogen receptors: a progress report

Four albumin conjugates of oestradiol. Labelled with fluorescein or peroxidase to permit visualization under light or fluorescence microscopy, were synthesized. These were used to examine the feasibility of identifying oestrogen binding in frozen section by two published histochemical techniques. In a variety of experimental tissues and human breast cancers, binding of the oestrogen conjugates was demonstrable, but it appeared nonspecific (i.e., rarely displaceable by competitor) and unrelated to oestrogen receptor (RE) status of the tissue as determined biochemically by assay with dextran-coated charcoal. Investigation of the fate of the RE through the various steps of a histochemical assay, demonstrated major losses of RE from unfixed tissue or after tissue fixation. The RE also exhibited a 10-50-fold poorer affinity for the conjugates synthesized than for oestradiol-17 beta and, at the concentrations of conjugate routinely used in histochemical assays, it seems likely that considerable nonspecific binding takes place. These factors may combine to make it (1) difficult to implement such histochemical assays and (2) unlikely that the RE is being detected.