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Notch-1 activates estrogen receptor-α-dependent transcription via IKKα in breast cancer cells

2009; Springer Nature; Volume: 29; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/onc.2009.323

1476-5594

Liang Hao, Paola Rizzo, Clodia Osipo, Antonio Pannuti, Debra Wyatt, Leanna Cheung, Gail E. Sonenshein, B Osborne, Lucio Miele,

Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics

Approximately 80% of breast cancers express the estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and are treated with anti-estrogens. Resistance to these agents is a major cause of mortality. We have shown that estrogen inhibits Notch, whereas anti-estrogens or estrogen withdrawal activate Notch signaling. Combined inhibition of Notch and estrogen signaling has synergistic effects in ERα-positive breast cancer models. However, the mechanisms whereby Notch-1 promotes the growth of ERα-positive breast cancer cells are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Notch-1 increases the transcription of ERα-responsive genes in the presence or absence of estrogen via a novel chromatin crosstalk mechanism. Our data support a model in which Notch-1 can activate the transcription of ERα-target genes via IKKα-dependent cooperative chromatin recruitment of Notch–CSL–MAML1 transcriptional complexes (NTC) and ERα, which promotes the recruitment of p300. CSL binding elements frequently occur in close proximity to estrogen-responsive elements (EREs) in the human and mouse genomes. Our observations suggest that a hitherto unknown Notch-1/ERα chromatin crosstalk mediates Notch signaling effects in ERα-positive breast cancer cells and contributes to regulate the transcriptional functions of ERα itself.