The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) delta on the transcriptional activity of the mouse estrogen receptor was investigated. The receptor was expressed transiently in Cos-1 and NIH3T3 cells in the presence of wild-type, dominant negative or constitutively active forms of PKC delta. Transfection experiments demonstrated that PKC delta stimulated both unliganded and liganded estrogen receptor transcriptional activity. This stimulatory effect was not observed using PKC alpha or PKC epsilon. 4-Hydroxytamoxifen and the pure anti-estrogen ICI 164,384 reduced receptor transcriptional activity in the presence of PKC delta. The stimulatory effect of PKC delta on estrogen receptor transcriptional activity was mediated by the N-terminal activation function 1 (AF-1) domain. The reduced stimulatory effect of PKC delta on transcriptional activity of the phosphorylation defective mutant of estrogen receptor suggests that phosphorylation of serine 122 in the AF-1 region may mediate the modulatory effect of PKC delta. Wild-type PKC delta caused a twofold increase in estrogen receptor phosphorylation, while a dominant negative mutant of PKC delta reduced the receptor phosphorylation to five percent of that caused by wild-type PKC delta. Our results suggest that PKC delta participates in the signaling pathways that lead to estrogen receptor phosphorylation and its effect on estrogen receptor transcriptional activation is both cell type and promoter specific.

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