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The largest and smallest discrete forms of the estrogen receptor in human breast tumor cytosol were characterized by competitive steroid binding, ultracentrifugation, gel filtration, and electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels of several concentrations. Incubation of cytosol with [3H]estradiol and centrifugation in glycerol gradients containing 20 mM Na2MoO4 and 0 or 150 mM KCl revealed a 9-10S form of the receptor. It resembles the molybdate-stabilized complexes in cytosols of other human and rodent, malignant and healthy tissues, and the complex detected in breast tumor cytosol containing leupeptin, a bacterial protease inhibitor. Preservation of receptor integrity during purification and discrimination from serum steroid-binding components are facilitated by inclusion of molybdate in all buffers. Possible mechanisms of action of molybdate include the inhibition of ribonuclease action on RNA-associated receptor forms and protection against specific proteolytic cleavage by stabilization of a phosphate group on the vulnerable residue or a neighboring one. During fractionation of tumor cytosol in the absence of molybdate, the receptor is converted to a mixture of fragments. The smallest that retains the bound steroid, the mero-receptor, resembles the products of endogenous and exogenous protease action on receptors for all classes of steroids in a wide range of tissues. The similarities between both the largest and the smallest known forms of the breast tumor estrogen receptor and corresponding forms of other receptors support the notion of the common architecture of steroid receptors in normal and malignant tissues of diverse origins.