Estradiol (E2) concentration shapes the chromatin binding landscape of estrogen receptor alpha

How transcription factors (TFs) selectively occupy a minute subset of their binding sites from a sizeable pool of putative sites in large mammalian genomes remains an important unanswered question. In part, nucleosomes help by creating formidable barriers to TF binding. TF concentration itself plays a crucial role in the competition between TFs and nucleosomes. With nuclear receptors, the ligand adds another layer of complexity. Estrogen receptor alpha (ER) is a classic example where its main ligand estradiol (E2) can modulate ER binding on chromatin. Here, we show a shift in ER binding as a function of E2 concentration. As E2 concentration increases by two orders of magnitude, ER levels decrease, and ER binding localizes to promoter-distal sites with strong ER motifs. At low E2 levels, abundant levels of ER are present in the nucleus, and ER binding occurs mostly at sites without a canonical ER binding motif, in cooperation with other TFs like STAT1. We propose that E2's effect on ER activity plays a major role in defining genome-wide ER binding profiles. Thus, variations in E2 concentrations in ER-positive breast tumors could be a significant factor driving heterogeneity in tumor phenotype, treatment response, and potentially drug resistance.