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Query: UMLS:C0006142 (breast cancer)
 160,383 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The physical and functional interaction between the transcription factor p53 and its negative regulatory partner protein Hdm2 (Mdm2 in mouse) is a key point of convergence of multiple signaling pathways that regulates cell proliferation and survival. hdm2 mRNA transcription is induced by p53, forming the basis of an auto-regulatory feedback loop. Growth and survival factor-activated Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK signaling can also regulate Hdm2 expression independently of p53, contributing to the pro-survival effect of these factors. In murine fibroblasts, this occurs through the regulation of mdm2 mRNA transcription. Here we show that, in human breast cancer epithelial cells, MEK-dependent regulation of Hdm2 expression also occurs at a post-transcriptional level. Pharmacological blockade of MEK activity in T47D cells inhibits Hdm2 protein synthesis by 80-90%. This occurs in the absence of changes in the expression of the major hdm2-P1 mRNA transcript and only an approximately 40% reduction in hdm2-P2 transcript levels. The amounts of both transcripts that are associated with polyribosomes and are, hence, being actively translated are reduced by >80% by the MEK inhibitor, U0126. We show here that this is due to the inhibition of hdm2 mRNA export from the nucleus when MEK activity is inhibited. In MCF-7 breast cancer cells that express wild-type p53, Hdm2 is required to suppress p53-dependent transcription when MEK kinase is active. Regulation of the nuclear export of hdm2 mRNA provides, therefore, a mechanism whereby mitogen-stimulated cells avoid p53-dependent cell cycle arrest or apoptosis by maintaining the dynamic equilibrium of the Hdm2-p53 feedback loop.
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PMID:MEK-ERK signaling controls Hdm2 oncoprotein expression by regulating hdm2 mRNA export to the cytoplasm. 1572 37

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) functions in concert with co-receptors, including integrins, FPR-like receptor-1/lipoxin A4 receptor, and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), to initiate cell signaling. uPAR co-receptors may be dynamically organized into a multiprotein signaling receptor complex. In Chinese hamster ovary-K1 (CHO-K1) cells, uPA-binding to uPAR activates ERK/MAP kinase, even though these cells do not express the EGFR; however, when CHO-K1 cells are transfected to express the EGFR, ERK activation becomes EGFR-dependent. In this study, we demonstrate that ERK activation in response to uPA follows equivalent biphasic kinetics in EGFR-expressing and -deficient CHO-K1 cells. In both cell types, the response is pertussis toxin-sensitive; however, uPA promotes cell proliferation exclusively in the EGFR-expressing cells. uPA-induced mitogenic activity requires activation of both STAT5b and ERK. STAT5b was tyrosine-phosphorylated, in response to uPA, only in EGFR-expressing cells. uPA-induced cell proliferation was blocked by dominant-negative MEK1, dominant-negative STAT5b, and by expression of an EGFR that is mutated at Tyr-845, which is essential for STAT5b activation. In two cell culture models of uPA-stimulated breast cancer growth, MDA-MB 468 cells treated with uPA and MCF-7 cells treated with uPA-plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex, proliferation was completely inhibited when EGFR expression or activity was blocked. We conclude that expression and assembly of uPAR co-receptors in a specific cell type determines the response to uPA. The EGFR selectively cooperates with uPAR to mediate mitogenesis.
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PMID:Dynamic assembly of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator signaling receptor complex determines the mitogenic activity of urokinase-type plasminogen activator. 1572 76

Carbachol (Cch), a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonist, increases intracellular-free Ca(2+) mobilization and induces mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) phosphorylation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Pretreatment of cells with the selective phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor U73122, or incubation of cells in a Ca(2+)-free medium did not alter Cch-stimulated MAPK/ERK phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of MAPK/ERK was mimicked by phorbol 12-myristate acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC), but Cch-evoked MAPK/ERK activation was unaffected by down-regulation of PKC or by pretreatment of cells with GF109203X, a PKC inhibitor. However, Cch-stimulated MAPK/ERK phosphorylation was completely blocked by myristoylated PKC-zeta pseudosubstrate, a specific inhibitor of PKC-zeta, and high doses of staurosporine. Pretreatment of human breast cancer cells with wortmannin or LY294002, selective inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), diminished Cch-mediated MAPK/ERK phosphorylation. Similar results were observed when MCF-7 cells were pretreated with genistein, a non-selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, or with the specific Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2. Moreover, in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells mAChR stimulation induced an increase of protein synthesis and cell proliferation, and these effects were prevented by PD098059, a specific inhibitor of the mitogen activated kinase kinase. In conclusion, analyses of mAChR downstream effectors reveal that PKC-zeta, PI3K, and Src family of tyrosine kinases, but not intracellular-free Ca(2+) mobilization or conventional and novel PKC activation, are key molecules in the signal cascade leading to MAPK/ERK activation. In addition, MAPK/ERK are involved in the regulation of growth and proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.
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PMID:Activation of MAP kinase by muscarinic cholinergic receptors induces cell proliferation and protein synthesis in human breast cancer cells. 1574 49

Cdc25 phosphatases are important in cell cycle control and activate cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk). Efforts are currently under way to synthesize specific small-molecule Cdc25 inhibitors that might have anticancer properties. NSC 95397, a protein tyrosine phosphatase antagonist from the National Cancer Institute library, was reported to be a potent Cdc25 inhibitor. We have synthesized two hydroxyl derivatives of NSC 95397, monohydroxyl-NSC 95397 and dihydroxyl-NSC 95397, which both have enhanced activity for inhibiting Cdc25s. The new analogues, especially dihydroxyl-NSC 95397, potently inhibited the growth of human hepatoma and breast cancer cells in vitro. They influenced two signaling pathways. The dual phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) was induced, likely due to inhibition of the ERK phosphatase activity in Hep 3B cell lysate but not the dual specificity ERK phosphatase MKP-1. They also inhibited Cdc25 enzymatic activities and induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the Cdc25 target Cdks. Addition of hydroxyl groups to the naphthoquinone ring thus enhanced the potency of NSC 95397. These two new compounds may be useful probes for the biological functions of Cdc25s and have the potential for disrupting the cell cycle of growing tumor cells.
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PMID:Novel hydroxyl naphthoquinones with potent Cdc25 antagonizing and growth inhibitory properties. 1582 33

The estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) exists as a functional receptor at the plasma membrane. The structural requirements for localization and function are not well understood. Several laboratories have recently elucidated certain requirements. We recently found the translocation of ERalpha to the membrane in the absence of estrogen is dependent on caveolin-1 and serine 522 of the ERalpha protein. Mutation of serine 522 to alanine results in a 62% decrease in membrane localization and association with caveolin-1. Similarly, deletion of the caveolin-1 scaffolding domain (amino acids 60-100) largely prevents the localization of ERalpha at the plasma membrane. In the presence of estradiol (E2), ERalpha, Src-homology and collagen homology (Shc), and insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 proteins associate with and increase the localization of ERalpha at the membrane. Membrane-localized ERalpha functions as an atypical G-protein coupled receptor. There is no good evidence that ERalpha spans the membrane or contains an extracellular domain. E2/ERalpha activates different G-proteins in cell context-related fashion. These G-proteins lead to the activation of Src through PLC, PKC, IP3 and calcium influx. In breast cancer, Src activates matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, which cleaves heparin binding epidermal growth factor, and thus activates EGFR. This leads to downstream signaling through ERK and PI3 kinase, imparting cell growth and survival.
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PMID:Requirements for estrogen receptor alpha membrane localization and function. 1586 18

The proliferative effect of estrogens on breast cancer cell (BCC) is mainly mediated through estrogen receptors (ER). Non-transcriptional effects of estrogens, exerted through activation of several protein kinases, may also contribute to BCC proliferation. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to BCC proliferation is not known. We characterized a novel estrogenic receptor ligand which possess Akt and ERK activating properties distinct from that of 17beta-estradiol. Early and delayed waves of activation of these kinases were detected upon estrogenic challenge of BCC, but only molecules able to promote a significant, delayed activation of ERK-induced BCC proliferation. Estrogen-induced cell cycle progression was not sensitive to the inhibition of ERK-regulating kinases MEK1 and 2. ERalpha was found to be necessary, but not sufficient for kinases activation. Thus, estrogens elicit a distinct pattern of early and delayed activation of ERK and Akt, and early protein kinase activation is probably not involved in BCC proliferation. Structural variations in the estrogen molecule may confer novel biological properties unrelated to estrogen-dependent transcriptional activation.
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PMID:Cell cycle regulation of breast cancer cells through estrogen-induced activities of ERK and Akt protein kinases. 1592 90

Extracellular-regulated kinases (ERK1, ERK2) play important roles in the malignant behaviour of breast cancer cells in vitro. In our present study, 148 clinical breast cancer samples (120 cases with follow-up data) were studied for the expression of ERK1, ERK2 and their phosphorylated forms p-ERK1 and p-ERK2 by immunoblotting, and p-ERK1/2 expression in corresponding paraffin sections was analysed by immunohistochemistry. The results were correlated with established clinical and histological prognostic parameters, follow-up data and expression of seven cell-cycle regulatory proteins as well as MMP1, MMP9, PAI-1 and AP-1 transcription factors, which had been analysed before. High p-ERK1 expression as determined by immunoblots correlated significantly with a low frequency of recurrences and infrequent fatal outcome (P = 0.007 and 0.008) and was an independent indicator of long relapse-free and overall survival in multivariate analysis. By immunohistochemistry, strong p-ERK staining in tumour cells was associated with early stages (P = 0.020), negative nodal status (P = 0.003) and long recurrence-free survival (P = 0.017). In contrast, expression of the unphosphorylated kinases ERK1 and ERK2 was not associated with clinical and histological prognostic parameters, except a positive correlation with oestrogen receptor status. Comparison with the expression of formerly analysed cell-cycle- and invasion-associated proteins corroborates our conclusion that activation of ERK1 and ERK2 is not associated with enhanced proliferation and invasion of mammary carcinomas.
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PMID:Expression and prognostic relevance of activated extracellular-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in breast cancer. 1592 62

We have previously reported that inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) reduces pulmonary metastasis from MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer xenografts without affecting the volume of the primary tumors (Manni et al. Clin Exp Mets 20:321, 2003). In these experiments, we show that DFMO treatment (2% in drinking H(2)O) reduced the growth fraction of the primary tumors by 60%. However, this effect was counter-balanced by a similar reduction in non-apoptotic necrosis, thus accounting for the preservation of tumor volume in DFMO-treated mice. DFMO treatment caused a 4-fold increase in cytoplasmic staining for cleaved caspase-3 (as opposed to the nuclear staining observed in control tonsil tissue) in the absence of histologic evidence of apoptosis. DFMO treatment reduced the number of mice with pulmonary metastasis by approximately 80% and the number of metastasis per mouse by >90% in association with a reduction in invasiveness of the primary tumor in the surrounding dermis and muscle by approximately 30%. DFMO treatment increased ERK phosphorylation in the tumors, an effect that has been found by us in vitro to be causally linked to the anti-invasive effect of the drug (Manni et al. Clin Exp Metast 2004; 21: 461]. DFMO also increased tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT-3 and expression of STAT-1 and JNK proteins. Administration of SAM486A (1 mg/kg/i.p. daily), an inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, either individually or in combination with DFMO, was not found to exert any biological or biochemical effects, most likely as a result of its failure to suppress tissue polyamine levels under these experimental conditions.
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PMID:Effects of polyamine synthesis inhibitors on primary tumor features and metastatic capacity of human breast cancer cells. 1615 53

Inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, by the irreversible inhibitor alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) has been shown to decrease the invasiveness of metastatic human breast cancer cell lines. However, the mechanism by which DFMO acts to reduce invasiveness is unclear. Using the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-435, the effect of DFMO on metalloprotease gene expression was investigated. DFMO treatment decreases the expression of the metalloprotease meprin alpha, while concurrent treatment with DFMO and the polyamine putrescine partially restored meprin alpha expression levels. Expression of MMP-7 mRNA was reduced by DFMO, while MMPs-1, -2, -3, -14, and meprin beta were unaffected. Treatment of cells with a second inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, the S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) inhibitor SAM486A, also resulted in a dosage dependent decrease in meprin alpha and MMP-7 mRNA. In addition, DFMO treatment decreased meprin alpha at the protein level by 2 days of treatment, and MMP-7 protein levels at 4 and 6 days. Previous studies have shown that DFMO treatment increases ERK phosphorylation and signaling through the MAP kinase pathway. The decrease in meprin alpha expression was reversed with the MEK inhibitor PD98059, demonstrating that MAP kinase signaling mediates the effect of DFMO and SAM486A. MDA-MB-435 cells treated with the meprin alpha inhibitor actinonin (5 nM) were less invasive in vitro, indicating that meprin alpha is mechanistically involved in invasion. The decrease in meprin alpha expression in DFMO and SAM486A-treated cells indicates a means by which these compounds can decrease the invasiveness of metastatic breast cancer cells.
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PMID:Inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis decrease the expression of the metalloproteases meprin alpha and MMP-7 in hormone-independent human breast cancer cells. 1617 Jun 69

Retinoic acid and its synthetic analogs exert major effects on many biological processes including cell proliferation and differentiation and are now considered as promising pharmacological agents for prevention and treatment of various cancers. The capacity of retinoids to inhibit AP1-responsive genes seems to be the basis for the chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects of these agents against hyperproliferative diseases. However, the molecular basis of retinoid antiproliferative properties remains to this day largely unknown. Here, we showed that retinoids inhibit phorbol ester-induced MMP-1 and MMP-3 expression in human breast cancer cells. Transcriptional interference was observed for both retinoid agonist and antagonist treatments, revealing separated transactivation and transrepression functions of retinoids. In addition, we examined MAP kinases as potential targets of retinoid signalling in human breast cancer cells and demonstrated that retinoids repress AP1-responsive gene expression by inhibiting MKK6/p38 and mainly MEK/ERK signalling pathways. On the contrary, the JNK-dependent pathway was not identified as a molecular relay for AP1 activity and was insensitive to retinoid treatments. Finally, we established that overexpressed c-fos and c-jun partially abolished the ability of retinoids to inhibit AP1 activity, suggesting that c-jun and/or c-fos containing dimers may constitute one target of retinoids for transrepression of AP1. All together, our data help to improve our understanding of how retinoids antagonize AP1 activity and may regulate tumoral cell proliferation.
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PMID:Retinoids interfere with the AP1 signalling pathway in human breast cancer cells. 1617 68


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