Transcriptional activity of human brain estrogen receptor-α splice variants: Evidence for cell type-specific regulation

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) isoforms with complex types of alternative splicing are naturally present in the human brain and may affect canonical receptor signaling. In the present study we investigated transcriptional activity of common ERα splice variants from this group with different molecular defects: MB1 (intron retention), TADDI (small deletion between exons 3 and 4 with an insert), the Δ (deletion) 3⁎–7*/819 (complete skipping of exons 4, 5 and 6 and partial deletion of exons 3 and 7) and the Δ3–6 (lacking exons 3, 4, 5 and 6) in HeLa and M17 cells upon stimulation with (17β)estradiol or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). In HeLa cells, all these splice variants showed the dominant negative function that was more pronounced for the TADDI. In M17 cells the dominant negative variants appeared to be the MB1 and the Δ3–6, whereas TADDI turned out to be a clearly dominant positive variant. In M17 cells mRNA levels of Δ3–6 and Δ3*–7*/819 variants increased following (17β)estradiol administration. In Hela cells (17β)estradiol up-regulated the IGF-1 receptor mRNA levels in cultures transfected with MB1, TADDI and Δ3*–7*/819. Our data demonstrate that ERα splice variants show differential levels of the transcriptional activity in a cell type-specific way and that IGF-1 signaling pathways are differentially employed in a cell-type specific manner depending on the level of the discrete ERα splice variants expressed. Functional properties of various ERα splice variants and their cell type-specificity should, thus, be considered as potential confounders of estrogen therapy effects on the brain.

► In HeLa cells complex types of brain ERα splice variants were dominant negative.
► In M17 cells the MB1 and the Δ3–6 were dominant negative.
► TADDI was dominant positive in M17 cells.
► In M17 cells (17β)estradiol increased mRNA levels of Δ3–6 and Δ3*–7*/819 variants.
► Transcriptional activity of ERα splice variants is cell type-specific.