Research Article: Estradiol-Mediated Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Association With Heat Shock Protein 90 Requires Adenosine Monophosphate-Dependent Protein Kinase

Abstract


Background— Estradiol activates endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by mechanisms that involve estrogen receptor- (ER), protein kinase B/Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Recently, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme that plays a crucial role in cellular adaptation to metabolic stress, has been implicated in physiological eNOS activation by the hormones adiponectin and insulin. We therefore investigated whether AMPK is activated by estradiol in endothelial cells and plays a role in estradiol-induced eNOS activation.