help button home button Endocrine Society Endocrine Reviews
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH

First published online on October 3, 2006
This version published online on January 29, 2007
Endocrine Reviews, doi:10.1210/er.2005-0021
A more recent version of this article appeared on February 1, 2007
This Article
Right arrow Final Manuscript (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
28/1/1    most recent
Final Manuscript
Author Manuscript
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vasudevan, N.
Right arrow Articles by Pfaff, D. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vasudevan, N.
Right arrow Articles by Pfaff, D. W.

Membrane-Initiated Actions of Estrogens in Neuroendocrinology: Emerging Principles

Nandini Vasudevan* and Donald W. Pfaff

Department of Biology (N.V.), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802; and Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior (D.W.P.), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nuv1{at}psu.edu.

Hormonal ligands for the nuclear receptor superfamily have at least two interacting mechanisms of action: 1) classical transcriptional regulation of target genes (genomic mechanisms); and 2) nongenomic actions that are initiated at the cell membrane, which could impact transcription. Although transcriptional mechanisms are increasingly well understood, membrane-initiated actions of these ligands are incompletely understood. Historically, this has led to a considerable divergence of thought in the molecular endocrine field.

We have attempted to uncover principles of hormone action that are relevant to membrane-initiated actions of estrogens. There is evidence that the membrane-limited actions of hormones, particularly estrogens, involve the rapid activation of kinases and the release of calcium. Membrane actions of estrogens, which activate these rapid signaling cascades, can also potentiate nuclear transcription. These signaling cascades may occur in parallel or in series but subsequently converge at the level of modification of transcriptionally relevant molecules such as nuclear receptors and/or coactivators. In addition, other hormones or neurotransmitters may also activate cascades to crosstalk with estrogen receptor-mediated transcription. The idea of synergistic coupling between membrane-initiated and genomic actions of hormones fundamentally revises the paradigms of cell signaling in neuroendocrinology.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
GENES CELLSHome page
A. P. Kouzmenko, K.-i. Takeyama, Y. Kawasaki, T. Akiyama, and S. Kato
Ligand-dependent interaction between estrogen receptor alpha and adenomatous polyposis coli.
Genes Cells, July 1, 2008; 13(7): 723 - 730.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Anesth. Analg.Home page
R. Raju and I. H. Chaudry
Sex Steroids/Receptor Antagonist: Their Use as Adjuncts After Trauma-Hemorrhage for Improving Immune/Cardiovascular Responses and for Decreasing Mortality from Subsequent Sepsis
Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2008; 107(1): 159 - 166.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
D. Titolo, C. M. Mayer, S. S. Dhillon, F. Cai, and D. D. Belsham
Estrogen Facilitates both Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt and ERK1/2 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Membrane Signaling Required for Long-Term Neuropeptide Y Transcriptional Regulation in Clonal, Immortalized Neurons
J. Neurosci., June 18, 2008; 28(25): 6473 - 6482.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Pharmacol. Rev.Home page
V. M. Miller and S. P. Duckles
Vascular Actions of Estrogens: Functional Implications
Pharmacol. Rev., June 1, 2008; 60(2): 210 - 241.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
P. Hu, H. K. Kinyamu, L. Wang, J. Martin, T. K. Archer, and C. Teng
Estrogen Induces Estrogen-related Receptor {alpha} Gene Expression and Chromatin Structural Changes in Estrogen Receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative Breast Cancer Cells
J. Biol. Chem., March 14, 2008; 283(11): 6752 - 6763.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Endocr. Rev.Home page
S. R. Hammes and E. R. Levin
Extranuclear Steroid Receptors: Nature and Actions
Endocr. Rev., December 1, 2007; 28(7): 726 - 741.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J EndocrinolHome page
A. Morales, M. Gonzalez, R. Marin, M. Diaz, and R. Alonso
Estrogen inhibition of norepinephrine responsiveness is initiated at the plasma membrane of GnRH-producing GT1-7 cells
J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2007; 194(1): 193 - 200.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society