Neoplasia: An International Journal for Oncology Research (Sep 2005)

An Estrogen Receptor-α/p300 Complex Activates the BRCA-1 Promoter at an AP-1 Site That Binds Jun/Fos Transcription Factors: Repressive Effects of p53 on BRCA-1 Transcription

  • Brandon D. Jeffy,
  • Jennifer K. Hockings,
  • Michael Q. Kemp,
  • Sherif S. Morgan,
  • Jill A. Hager,
  • Jason Beliakoff,
  • Luke J. Whitesell,
  • G. Timothy Bowden,
  • Donato F. Romagnolo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1593/neo.05256
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 9
pp. 873 – 882

Abstract

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One of the puzzles in cancer predisposition is that women carrying BRCA-1 mutations preferentially develop tumors in epithelial tissues of the breast, ovary. Moreover, sporadic breast tumors contain lower levels of BRCA-1 in the absence of mutations in the BRCA-1 gene. The problem of tissue specificity requires analysis of factors that are unique to tissues of the breast. For example, the expression of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) is inversely correlated with breast cancer risk, 90% of BRCA-1 tumors are negative for ERα. Here, we show that estrogen stimulates BRCA-1 promoter activity in transfected cells, the recruitment of ERα, its cofactor p300 to an AP-1 site that binds Jun/Fos transcription factors. The recruitment of ERα/dp300 coincides with accumulation in the S-phase of the cell cycle, is antagonized by the antiestrogen tamoxifen. Conversely, we document that overexpression of wild-type p53 prevents the recruitment of ERα to the AP-1 site, represses BRCA-1 promoter activity. Taken together, our findings support a model in which an ERα/AP-1 complex modulates BRCA-1 transcription under conditions of estrogen stimulation. Conversely, the formation of this transcription complex is abrogated in cells overexpressing p53.

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