Perinatal exposure to estrogens such as diethylstilbestrol (DES), and to estrogenic chemicals, induces persistent anovulation caused by alteration of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, polyovular follicles, uterine abnormalities and persistent vaginal changes in mice. Most activities of estrogenic chemicals are mediated through estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and/or ERbeta. However, little was known about the relative contribution of the individual ER subtypes in induction of abnormalities. We tested the effects of neonatal exposure to ER selective ligands and DES on female mice. Transactivation assays using mouse ERalpha and ERbeta showed that 10(-10)M DES activated both ER subtypes and that the ERalpha agonist (propyl pyrazole triol, PPT) and the ERbeta agonist (diarylpropionitrile, DPN) selectively activated their respective ERs at 10(-9)M. Neonatal female mice were injected subcutaneously with DES, PPT or DPN and the animals were examined at 13 and 15 weeks of age, respectively. Persistent estrous smears and anovulation were induced in all mice by 0.025-2.5 microg DES and 2.5-25 microg PPT, but not by DPN, suggesting that the observed anovulation was primarily mediated through ERalpha. Disorganization of uterine musculature and ovary-independent vaginal epithelial cell proliferation accompanied by persistent expression of EGF-related genes and interleukin-1-related genes were also mediated through ERalpha. In contrast, polyovular follicles were induced by neonatal treatment with both ERalpha and ERbeta ligands, suggesting that ovarian abnormalities are mediated through both ER subtypes.