ESR1, also known as Estrogen Receptor Alpha, is a protein that belongs to the nuclear hormone receptor family and functions as a transcription factor. It plays a key role in mediating the effects of estrogen, a steroid hormone, across various tissues in the body. ESR1 is essential for regulating gene expression in response to estrogen binding. In the absence of estrogen, ESR1 remains in the cytoplasm in an inactive state, bound to heat shock proteins. When estrogen binds, ESR1 undergoes a conformational change, detaches from the heat shock proteins, and moves to the nucleus to influence gene transcription.