Plasma membrane localization and function of the estrogen receptor α variant (ER46) in human endothelial cells

Estrogen receptor (ER) a variants have been identified in an array of nonendothelial cells. We previously demonstrated that estrogen rapidly induces nitric oxide release via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) pathway in EA.hy926 cells (immortalized human endothelial cells), which express a 46-kDa ER. We now confirm that, due to alternative splicing, the 46-kDa endothelial cell protein (ER46) is an amino-terminal truncated product of full-length ERalpha (ER66). ER46 is expressed in the plasma membrane, cytosol, and nucleus of resting, estrogen-deprived cells. Flow cytometric and immunofluorescence microscopic analyses demonstrated that the ER46 C but not N terminus is Ab-accessible in the plasma membrane. Inhibition of palmitoylation with tunicamycin and [H-3]palmitic acid labeling demonstrated an estrogen-induced, palmitoylation-clependent plasma membrane ER46 recruitment, with reorganization into caveolae. In reconstituted, estrogen-stimulated COS-7 (ER-null) cells, membrane ER46 more efficiently triggered membrane eNOS phosphorylation than ER66. Conversely, ER66 more efficiently mediated estrogen response element reporter-gene transactivation than ER46. These results demonstrate that ER46 is localized and further dynamically targeted to the plasma membrane in a palmitoylation-dependent manner. ER46 more efficiently modulates membrane-initiated estrogen actions, including eNOS activation, than full-length ER66. These findings may have important implications in vascular-specific targeting of estrogen receptor agonists.