Hormonal Regulation of Metastasis-Associated Protein 3 Transcription in Breast Cancer Cells

Metastasis-associated protein 3 (MTA3) is a cell type-specific subunit of the Mi-2/NuRD transcriptional corepressor complex. In breast cancer cells, MTA3 and the Mi-2/NuRD complex mediate repression of Snail, a transcription factor that promotes epithelial to mesenchymal transitions. Thus, MTA3 functions to maintain a differentiated, epithelial status in breast cancer. Interestingly, in mammary epithelial cells, MTA3 biosynthesis requires both functional estrogen receptor (ER) and estradiol. Here we have investigated the molecular basis for estrogen and ER-dependent expression of MTA3 in breast cancer cells. Molecular dissection of the MTA3 promoter using transient transfection assays identified a composite element required for high-level transcription consisting of an SP1 site in close proximity to a consensus estrogen response element half-site. Depletion of either SP1 or ER-alpha by RNA interference led to loss of MTA3 transcript in multiple breast cancer cell lines, indicating a requirement for both transcription factors in expression of endogenous MTA3. The MTA3 gene thus joins a growing list of loci regulated by both SP1 and ER.