Regulation of GRIP1 and CBP coactivator activity by Rho GDI modulates estrogen receptor transcriptional enhancement

Abstract

Estrogen receptor α (ER) coordinates gene expression with cellular physiology in part by controlling receptor-cofactor interactions in response to extracellular signals. We have previously shown that the Rho signaling pathway modulates ER transcriptional activation. We now demonstrate that Rho GDI-dependent increase in ER transactivation is dependent on the ER AF-2 coactivator binding site, prompting us to examine regulation of receptor coactivators by Rho GDI. Indeed, Rho GDI cooperates with GRIP1 to increase ER ligand-independent and ligand-dependent transactivation and also enhances GRIP1 transcriptional activity when GRIP1 is tethered to DNA. The GRIP1 activation domain 1 (AD1), which binds CBP/p300, is necessary for Rho GDI to modulate GRIP1 activity. Using E1A to inhibit the endogenous CBP/p300 and a Gal4-CBP fusion protein to assay CBP activity, we find that the effect of Rho GDI on ER transactivation is CBP/p300-dependent. Importantly, the ability of CBP/p300 to transduce the Rho GDI signal to ER occurs through both GRIP1-dependent and -independent pathways. These data suggest a complex interplay between ER transcriptional activation and the Rho signaling pathways through modulation of receptor cofactors, which may have evolved to coordinate receptor-dependent gene expression with Rho-regulated events, such as cell migration. We speculate that dysregulation of the Rho-ER axis may participate in cancer progression.