Experiments were performed to determine the in vivo effect of various estrogens and anti-estrogens on the nuclear accumulation and retention of estrogen receptors, the cytoplasmic levels of estrogen receptors, and the formation of salt-resistant and salt-extractable forms of the nuclear estrogen receptor in immature rat uteri. A 5 mug injection of estradiol-17beta (E2) or diethylstilbestrol (DES) resulted in a maximal nuclear translocation of the receptor complexes by 1 h with a subsequent rapid decrease of both the estradiol receptor complex (ERC) and diethylstilbestrol receptor complex (DRC) to levels found in uteri of saline-injected rats by 12 h. However, the antiestrogens U-11,100A, zuclomiphene and enclomphene (100 mug/injection) resulted in a slower nuclear accumulation of receptor complex which continued to increase through 24 h. The cytosol receptor levels with E2 and DES were depleted to 10--20% of control levels within 1 h, but then were replenished so that they were above control levels by 24 h. The clomiphene-type compounds also showed an initial depletion of cytosol estrogen receptor, but the antiestrogens were almost ineffective in receptor replenishment. The estrogen receptor translocated to the nuclear fraction by estrogens demonstrated both salt-extractable (0.3M KCl) and salt-resistant forms at 1--6 h, whereas the clomiphene-type compounds resulted in the formation of only a salt-extractable form of the estrogen receptor at all times. By 12--24 h after injection, the salt-resistant forms of the ERC and DRC were no longer present. The effect of varying the dosage of injected E2 (0.05 mug-5 mug) resulted in the formation of an identical amount of salt-resistant ERC at 1--2 h, whereas the total amount of nuclear ERC (salt-resistant and salt-extractable) varied with the injected dose of E2. However, at 6 h, the amount of salt resistant ERC varied with the injected dose of E2 (0.005-5 mug). These results suggest that the nuclear salt-resistant form (formed by estrogens only) of the estrogen receptor is required for true uterine growth, whereas the nuclear salt-extractable form may be only sufficient for short term estrogenic responses.