Estrogen Modulates Epithelial Breast Cancer Cell Mechanics and Cell-to-Cell Contacts.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zbiral B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8198807 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Estrogen receptor ? (ER?) is initially expressed in the majority of breast cancers and promotes estrogen-dependent cancer progression by regulating the transcription of genes linked to cell proliferation. ER? status is of clinical importance, as ER?-positive breast cancers can be successfully treated by adjuvant therapy with antiestrogens or aromatase inhibitors. Complications arise from the frequent development of drug resistance that might be caused by multiple alterations, including components of ER? signaling, during tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, insights into the molecular mechanisms that control ER? expression and stability are of utmost importance to improve breast cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Here we report that the atypical E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31 stabilizes ER? and facilitates ER?-stimulated proliferation in breast cancer cell lines. We show that depletion of RNF31 decreases the number of cells in the S phase and reduces the levels of ER? and its downstream target genes, including cyclin D1 and c-myc. Analysis of data from clinical samples confirms correlation between RNF31 expression and the expression of ER? target genes. Immunoprecipitation indicates that RNF31 associates with ER? and increases its stability and mono-ubiquitination, dependent on the ubiquitin ligase activity of RNF31. Our data suggest that association of RNF31 and ER? occurs mainly in the cytosol, consistent with the lack of RNF31 recruitment to ER?-occupied promoters. In conclusion, our study establishes a non-genomic mechanism by which RNF31 via stabilizing ER? levels controls the transcription of estrogen-dependent genes linked to breast cancer cell proliferation.
| S-EPMC4141304 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Acquired resistance to endocrine therapy is responsible for half of the therapeutic failures in the treatment of breast cancer. Recent findings have implicated increased expression of the ETS transcription factor ELF5 as a potential modulator of estrogen action and driver of endocrine resistance, and here we provide the first insight into the mechanisms by which ELF5 modulates estrogen sensitivity. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing we found that ELF5 binding overlapped with FOXA1 and ER at super enhancers, enhancers and promoters, and when elevated, caused FOXA1 and ER to bind to new regions of the genome, in a pattern that replicated the alterations to the ER/FOXA1 cistrome caused by the acquisition of resistance to endocrine therapy. RNA sequencing demonstrated that these changes altered estrogen-driven patterns of gene expression, the expression of ER transcription-complex members, and 6 genes known to be involved in driving the acquisition of endocrine resistance. Using rapid immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry of endogenous proteins, and proximity ligation assays, we found that ELF5 interacted physically with members of the ER transcription complex, such as DNA-PKcs. We found 2 cases of endocrine-resistant brain metastases where ELF5 levels were greatly increased and ELF5 patterns of gene expression were enriched, compared to the matched primary tumour. Thus ELF5 alters ER-driven gene expression by modulating the ER/FOXA1 cistrome, by interacting with it, and by modulating the expression of members of the ER transcriptional complex, providing multiple mechanisms by which ELF5 can drive endocrine resistance.
| S-EPMC6959601 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The emergence of anti-estrogen resistance in breast cancer is an important clinical phenomenon affecting long-term survival in this disease. Identifying factors that convey cell survival in this setting may guide improvements in treatment. Estrogen (E2) can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells that have been selected for survival after E2 deprivation for long periods (MCF-7:5C cells), but the mechanisms underlying E2-induced stress in this setting have not been elucidated. Here, we report that the c-Src kinase functions as a key adapter protein for the estrogen receptor (ER, ESR1) in its activation of stress responses induced by E2 in MCF-7:5C cells. E2 elevated phosphorylation of c-Src, which was blocked by 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), suggesting that E2 activated c-Src through the ER. We found that E2 activated the sensors of the unfolded protein response (UPR), IRE1? (ERN1) and PERK kinase (EIF2AK3), the latter of which phosphorylates eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2? (eIF2?). E2 also dramatically increased reactive oxygen species production and upregulated expression of heme oxygenase HO-1 (HMOX1), an indicator of oxidative stress, along with the central energy sensor kinase AMPK (PRKAA2). Pharmacologic or RNA interference-mediated inhibition of c-Src abolished the phosphorylation of eIF2? and AMPK, blocked E2-induced ROS production, and inhibited E2-induced apoptosis. Together, our results establish that c-Src kinase mediates stresses generated by E2 in long-term E2-deprived cells that trigger apoptosis. This work offers a mechanistic rationale for a new approach in the treatment of endocrine-resistant breast cancer.
| S-EPMC3715569 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In healthy tissues, cells are in mechanical homeostasis. During cancer progression, this equilibrium is disrupted. Cancer cells alter their mechanical phenotype to a softer and more fluid-like one than that of healthy cells. This is connected to cytoskeletal remodeling, changed adhesion properties, faster cell proliferation and increased cell motility. In this work, we investigated the mechanical properties of breast cancer cells representative of different breast cancer subtypes, using MCF-7, tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7, MCF10A and MDA-MB-231 cells. We derived viscoelastic properties from atomic force microscopy force spectroscopy measurements and showed that the mechanical properties of the cells are associated with cancer cell malignancy. MCF10A are the stiffest and least fluid-like cells, while tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7 cells are the softest ones. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 show an intermediate mechanical phenotype. Confocal fluorescence microscopy on cytoskeletal elements shows differences in actin network organization, as well as changes in focal adhesion localization. These findings provide further evidence of distinct changes in the mechanical properties of cancer cells compared to healthy cells and add to the present understanding of the complex alterations involved in tumorigenesis.
| S-EPMC10418463 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Epithelial splicing regulatory proteins 1 and 2 (ESRP1/2) control the splicing pattern during epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in a physiological context and in cancer, including breast cancer (BC). Here, we report that ESRP1, but not ESRP2, is overexpressed in luminal BCs of patients with poor prognosis and correlates with estrogen receptor α (ERα) levels. Analysis of ERα genome-binding profiles in cell lines and primary breast tumors showed its binding in the proximity of ESRP1 and ESRP2 genes, whose expression is strongly decreased by ERα silencing in hormone-deprived conditions. The combined knock-down of ESRP1/2 in MCF-7 cells followed by RNA-Seq, revealed the dysregulation of 754 genes, with a widespread alteration of alternative splicing events (ASEs) of genes involved in cell signaling, metabolism, cell growth, and EMT. Functional network analysis of ASEs correlated with ESRP1/2 expression in ERα+ BCs showed RAC1 as the hub node in the protein-protein interactions altered by ESRP1/2 silencing. The comparison of ERα- and ESRP-modulated ASEs revealed 63 commonly regulated events, including 27 detected in primary BCs and endocrine-resistant cell lines. Our data support a functional implication of the ERα-ESRP1/2 axis in the onset and progression of BC by controlling the splicing patterns of related genes.
| S-EPMC9319905 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Most cancers use glucose as substrate for aerobic glycolysis in preference to oxidative phosphorylation. However, variable glucose concentrations within the in-vivo tumor microenvironment may necessitate metabolic plasticity. Furthermore, little information exists on a role for estrogen receptors in modulating possible metabolic adaptations in breast cancer cells. Here we find that MCF-7 cells switch between metabolic pathways depending on glucose availability and 17?-estradiol (E(2)) potentiates adaptation. In high glucose conditions E(2) up-regulates glycolysis via enhanced AKT kinase activity and suppresses tricarboxylic acid cycle activity. After a decrease in extracellular glucose, mitochondrial pathways are activated in preference to glycolysis. In this setting, E(2) suppresses glycolysis and rescues cell viability by stimulating the tricarboxylic acid cycle via the up-regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. E(2) also increases ATP in low glucose-cultured cells, and the novel phosphorylation of PDH by AMP kinase is required for these metabolic compensations. Capitalizing on metabolic vulnerability, knockdown of PDH in the low-glucose state strongly potentiates ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis and reverses the cell survival effects of E(2). We propose that lowering glucose substrate and inhibiting PDH may augment adjuvant therapies for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
| S-EPMC3517720 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cell-generated forces produce a variety of tissue movements and tissue shape changes. The cytoskeletal elements that underlie these dynamics act at cell-cell and cell-ECM contacts to apply local forces on adhesive structures. In epithelia, force imbalance at cell contacts induces cell shape changes, such as apical constriction or polarized junction remodeling, driving tissue morphogenesis. The dynamics of these processes are well-characterized; however, the mechanical basis of cell shape changes is largely unknown because of a lack of mechanical measurements in vivo. We have developed an approach combining optical tweezers with light-sheet microscopy to probe the mechanical properties of epithelial cell junctions in the early Drosophila embryo. We show that optical trapping can efficiently deform cell-cell interfaces and measure tension at cell junctions, which is on the order of 100 pN. We show that tension at cell junctions equilibrates over a few seconds, a short timescale compared with the contractile events that drive morphogenetic movements. We also show that tension increases along cell interfaces during early tissue morphogenesis and becomes anisotropic as cells intercalate during germ-band extension. By performing pull-and-release experiments, we identify time-dependent properties of junctional mechanics consistent with a simple viscoelastic model. Integrating this constitutive law into a tissue-scale model, we predict quantitatively how local deformations propagate throughout the tissue.
| S-EPMC4321260 | biostudies-other
Project description:The emergence of anti-estrogen resistance in breast cancer is an important clinical phenomenon affecting long-term survival in this disease. Identifying factors that convey cell survival in this setting may guide improvements in treatment. Estrogen (E2) can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells that have been selected for survival after E2 deprivation for long periods (MCF-7:5C cells), but the mechanisms underlying E2-induced stress in this setting have not been elucidated. Here, we report that the c-Src kinase functions as a key adapter protein for the estrogen receptor (ER, ESR1) in its activation of stress responses induced by E2 in MCF-7:5C cells. E2 elevated phosphorylation of c-Src, which was blocked by 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), suggesting that E2 activated c-Src through the ER. We found that E2 activated the sensors of the unfolded protein response (UPR), IRE1α (ERN1) and PERK kinase (EIF2AK3), the latter of which phosphorylates eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α (eIF2α). E2 also dramatically increased reactive oxygen species production and upregulated expression of heme oxygenase HO-1 (HMOX1), an indicator of oxidative stress, along with the central energy sensor kinase AMPK (PRKAA2). Pharmacologic or RNA interference-mediated inhibition of c-Src abolished the phosphorylation of eIF2α and AMPK, blocked E2-induced ROS production, and inhibited E2-induced apoptosis. Together, our results establish that c-Src kinase mediates stresses generated by E2 in long-term E2-deprived cells that trigger apoptosis. This work offers a mechanistic rationale for a new approach in the treatment of endocrine-resistant breast cancer. MCF-7:5C cells were treated with vehicle (0.1% EtOH) as control, E2 (10-9mol/L), 4-OHT (10-6mol/L), E2 (10-9mol/L) plus 4-OHT (10-6mol/L), PP2 (5x10-6mol/L), and E2 (10-9mol/L) plus PP2 (5x10-6mol/L) respectively for 72 hours.
| S-ECPF-GEOD-59535 | biostudies-other
Project description:Cells in tissues are mechanically coupled both to the ECM and neighboring cells, but the coordination and interdependency of forces sustained at cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesions are unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that the endogenous force sustained at the cell-cell contact between a pair of epithelial cells is approximately 100 nN, directed perpendicular to the cell-cell interface and concentrated at the contact edges. This force is stably maintained over time despite significant fluctuations in cell-cell contact length and cell morphology. A direct relationship between the total cellular traction force on the ECM and the endogenous cell-cell force exists, indicating that the cell-cell tension is a constant fraction of the cell-ECM traction. Thus, modulation of ECM properties that impact cell-ECM traction alters cell-cell tension. Finally, we show in a minimal model of a tissue that all cells experience similar forces from the surrounding microenvironment, despite differences in the extent of cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion. This interdependence of cell-cell and cell-ECM forces has significant implications for the maintenance of the mechanical integrity of tissues, mechanotransduction, and tumor mechanobiology.
| S-EPMC3064395 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Estrogen is a risk factor for breast cancer, yet its mechanism in the initiation of this disease is not clear. Here we use a model of estrogen-mediated malignant transformation of MCF-10F cells to identify the temporal acquisition of changes in genome structure and gene expression that correspond to the progressive transformed phenotype culminating in tumorigenesis. Genomic DNA and total RNA were isolated from MCF10F, trMCF (MCF10F transformed by 70 nM 17-beta estradiol), bsMCF (trMCF selected by Boyden chamber, tumorigenic), bcMCF(clones of bsMCF), and caMCF (cells from tumors of bsMCF grown in SCID mice). The Affymetrix 100k SNP and HG-U133_Plus_2 chips were used for genotyping and gene expression analyses. Changes in chromosomal copy number and loss of heterozygosity were progressive. Gross changes were rarely observed in the trMCF10F cells; the earliest was a gain in chromosome 1p, 1p36.12-1p36.21. In the bsMCF and their sub-clones bcMCF, additional gains were seen in chromosomes 1p, 1p36.12-1pter, 5q, 5q21.1-5q35.3, and 13q, 13q21.32-13q34; losses were detected in chromosomes 4 and 8p, 8p11.1-8p23.1. In the caMCF, additional losses were seen in chromosomes 3p, 3p12.1-3p14.1, 9p, 9p22.1-9p24.3, and 18q, 18q11.2-18q23. Using microarray analysis we were able, in some cases, to narrow the regions of interest and their associated candidate cancer genes. The observation of progressive genomic changes, along with the tumor phenotype of a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, indicate an underlying mechanism common to breast cancer development in humans, and adds to the evidence indicating that estrogens are mutagenic and contribute early to the process of breast cancer. Experiment Overall Design: Human MCF-10F cells were transformed by 70nM 17-beta-estradiol. The transformed cells were selected by Boyden chamber. The selected cells were injected into SCID mice and also cloned and expanded. The thus grown tumors were harvested for cell culture. Genomic DNA and total RNA were isolated from cell lines in each step for 100K SNP and gene expression microarray assay.
| S-ECPF-GEOD-5102 | biostudies-other