17 beta-Estradiol Regulates Estrogen Receptor alpha Monoubiquitination

Monoubiquitination is a nonproteolytic signal involved in a network of several different physiological processes. Recently, monoubiquitination has been discovered as a new post-transductional modification of the estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha). However, at present no information is available about the role of the cognate ligand 17 beta-estradiol (E2) in modulating this receptor post-transductional modification. Thus, we studied the E2-dependent modulation of ER alpha monoubiquitination in different cell lines. Here, we report that ER alpha monoubiquitination is negatively modulated by E2. These results demonstrate that ER alpha monoubiquitination represents a new signalling modification that may modulate the E2:ER alpha-regulated cellular processes. (C) 2011 IUBMN IUBMB Life, 63(1): 49-53, 2011