Estradiol receptors and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in human breast tumors.

Estradiol receptors and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme induced by estrogens, were measured in both benign and malignant human breast tumors. The mean glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was higher in the malignant tumors than in the benign tumors. Tumors containing estradiol receptors contained higher activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase than tumors without receptors. In breast carcinomas with and without estradiol receptors glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gave 3 isoenzymes with very similar electrophoretic pattern after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results showed that although glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was higher in estradiol receptor positive than in estradiol receptor negative tumors there was no significant correlation between the estradiol receptor concentration and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in human breast tumors.