The two estrogen receptor isoforms ERα and ERβ mediate biological effects of estrogens, but are also targets for endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs), compounds that interfere with hormonal signaling. 3-Methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and dioxin (TCDD) are EDCs and prototypical aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, and can inhibit ER signaling. However, in contrast to TCDD, 3-MC gives rise to metabolites with estrogenic properties. We compared gene expression profiles in HepG2 cells after exposure to 3-MC, TCDD, and the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES). Interestingly, we observed little overlap between the genetic networks activated by 3-MC and TCDD, two compounds sometimes considered as interchangeable AhR ligands. Like DES, 3-MC induced a number of ER-regulated genes and lead to recruitment of ERα to the promoters of such genes. Interestingly, in contrast to DES, the estrogenic effects exerted by 3-MC were exclusively observed in ERα, but not in ERβ-expressing cells, suggesting ER isoform selectivity of 3-MC-derived metabolites.
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