Estrogen action via the cAMP signaling pathway: Stimulation of adenylate cyclase and cAMP-regulated gene transcription

Susan M. Aronica, W. Lee Kraus, Benita S. Katzenellenbogen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

625 Scopus citations

Abstract

Estrogenic hormones, believed to exert most of their effects via the direct interaction of their receptors with chromatin, are found to increase cAMP in target breast cancer and uterine cells in culture and in the intact uterus in vivo. Increases in intracellular cAMP are evoked by very low concentrations of estradiol (half maximal at 10 pM) and by other physiologically active estrogens and antiestrogens, but not by an inactive estrogen stereoisomer. These increases in cAMP result from enhanced membrane adenylate cyclase activity by a mechanism that does not involve genomic actions of the hormones (are not blocked by inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis). The estrogen-stimulated levels of cAMP are sufficient to activate transcription from cAMP response element-containing genes and reporter plasmid constructs. Our findings document a nongenomic action of estrogenic hormones that involves the activation of an important second-messenger signaling system and suggest that estrogen regulation of cAMP may provide an additional mechanism by which this steroid hormone can alter the expression of genes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8517-8521
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume91
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 30 1994

Keywords

  • antiestrogens
  • breast cancer
  • estrogens
  • uterus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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