STEROID HORMONE RECEPTORS Estrogen Receptors and G proteins

Abstract:

Nongenomic effects of estrogen have been reported and are likely initiated by estrogen receptors (ERs) located on the plasma membrane. One such effect is the activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mediated by plasma membrane-localized ER. Wyckoff et al. implicate the G_i protein in mediating the signal from ER to eNOS in immortalized endothelial cells and in transfected COS-7 cells. Estrogen-stimulated eNOS activity was inhibited by pertussis toxin and guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate). Estrogen stimulated the physical interaction of G_i and ER , which was detected by coimmunoprecipitation and was inhibited by antagonists of the ER or pertussis toxin. The role of G_i was substantiated by two additional experiments: (i) G_i was overexpressed and an enhanced estrogen-stimulated eNOS activation was observed, and (ii) overexpression of the negative regulator of G-protein signaling RGS4 inhibited estrogen-stimulated eNOS activation.

M. H. Wyckoff, K. L. Chambliss, C. Mineo, I. S. Yuhanna, M. E. Mendelsohn, S. M. Mumby, P. W. Shaul, Plasma membrane estrogen receptors are coupled to endothelial nitric-oxide synthase through G_i. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 27071-27027 (2001). [Abstract] [Full Text]

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EDITORS' CHOICE
RECEPTORS
Estrogen at the Membrane

(28 January 2003)
Sci. STKE 2003 (167), tw41. [DOI: 10.1126/stke.2003.167.tw41]
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