Mechanism of Estrogen Action: Lessons from the Estrogen Receptor-α Knockout Mouse1

Abstract

Estradiol-17β (E₂) stimulates uterine and vaginal epithelial proliferation in vivo [1]. E₂ also plays a critical role in other aspects of uterine and vaginal growth and adult function, and it is obligatory for normal epithelial morphogenesis, cytodifferentiation, and secretory activity in these organs. E₂ elicits its effects via the estrogen receptor (ER), which functions as a ligand-activated transcription factor to turn on target genes in E₂-responsive tissues.