Transfected endometrial cultured cells: a system to study gene-regulation by estrogens.

Glandular epithelial (GE) and stromal cells were isolated from guinea-pig endometrium, cultured and subcultured separately. At the end of subculture, the purity of each cell population was higher than 95% and cells displayed a high level of estrogen receptors. Calcium phosphate transfection conditions were defined using a control plasmid containing the bacterial CAT gene driven by viral promoter and enhancer sequences. Transfection experiments were performed with other plasmids in which CAT gene was linked to different estrogen response elements (EREs) derived from those of vitellogenin genes. CAT activity was significantly increased by estradiol-17 beta treatment only when GE or stromal cells were transfected with plasmids containing EREs previously reported as functional EREs in other cell types. This induction was abolished by ICI 164,384 diethylstilbestrol was as effective as estradiol-17 beta for CAT induction and estradiol-17 alpha was ineffective. Transiently transfected endometrial cells in subculture are a suitable system to study the estrogen effect on gene regulatory elements.