Estrogen receptor silencing induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: We propose the hypothesis that loss of estrogen receptor function which leads to endocrine resistance in breast cancer, also results in trans-differentiation from an epithelial to a mesenchymal phenotype that is responsible for increased aggressiveness and metastatic propensity. siRNA mediated silencing of the estrogen receptor in MCF7 breast cancer cells resulted in estrogen/tamoxifen resistant cells (pII) with altered morphology, increased motility with rearrangement and switch from a keratin/actin to a vimentin based cytoskeleton, and ability to invade simulated components of the extracellular matrix. Phenotypic profiling using an Affymetrix Human Genome U133 plus 2.0 GeneChip indicated geometric fold changes ≥ 3 in approximately 2500 identifiable unique sequences, with about 1270 of th

SUBMITTER: Al Saleh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3119661 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature