CBP is a dosage-dependent regulator of nuclear factor-κB suppression by the estrogen receptor

The estrogen receptor (ER) protects against debilitating effects of the inflammatory response by inhibiting the proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF kappa B). Heretofore cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP) has been suggested to mediate inhibitory cross talk by functioning either as a scaffold that links ER and NF kappa B or as a required cofactor that competitively binds to one or the other transcriptional factor. However, here we demonstrate that ER is recruited to the NF kappa B response element of the MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and IL-8 promoters and displaces CBP, but not p65, in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. In contrast, ER displaced p65 and associated coregulators from the IL-6 promoter, demonstrating a gene-specific role for CBP in integrating inflammatory and steroid signaling. Further, RNA interference and overexpression studies demonstrated that CBP dosage regulates estrogen-mediated suppression of MCP-1 and IL-8, but not IL-6, gene expression. This work further demonstrates that CBP dosage is a critical regulator of gene-specific signal integration between the ER-and NF kappa B-signaling pathways.