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Amphiregulin retains ERα expression in acquired aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is a significant clinical issue in endocrine therapy for estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer which accounts for the majority of breast cancer. Despite estrogen production being suppressed, ERα signaling remains active and plays a key role in most AI-resistant breast tumors. Here, we found that amphiregulin (AREG), an ERα transcriptional target and EGF receptor (EGFR) ligand, is crucial for maintaining ERα expression and signaling in acquired AI-resistant breast cancer cells. AREG was deregulated and critical for cell viability in ER+ AI-resistant breast cancer cells, and ectopic expression of AREG in hormone responsive breast cancer cells promoted endocrine resistance. RNA-sequencing and reverse phase protein array analyses revealed that AREG maintains ERα expression and signaling by activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and upregulation of forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) and serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 3 (SGK3) expression. Our study uncovers a previously unappreciated role of AREG in maintaining ERα expression and signaling, and establishes the AREG-ERα crosstalk as a driver of acquired AI resistance in breast cancer.

SUBMITTER: Wang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7665895 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Amphiregulin retains ERα expression in acquired aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancer cells.

Wang Yuanzhong Y Tzeng Yen-Dun Tony YT Chang Gregory G Wang Xiaoqiang X Chen Shiuan S

Endocrine-related cancer 20201201 12

Acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is a significant clinical issue in endocrine therapy for estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer which accounts for the majority of breast cancer. Despite estrogen production being suppressed, ERα signaling remains active and plays a key role in most AI-resistant breast tumors. Here, we found that amphiregulin (AREG), an ERα transcriptional target and EGF receptor (EGFR) ligand, is crucial for maintaining ERα expression and signaling in acq ...[more]

PMID: 33112819

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Project description:Resistance to endocrine therapy agents has presented a clinical obstacle in the treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer. Our laboratory has initiated a study of microRNA regulation of signaling pathways that may result in breast cancer progression on aromatase inhibitors (AI). Microarray analysis of microRNA expression identified 115 significantly regulated microRNAs, of which 49 microRNAs were believed to be hormone-responsive. Within the AI-resistant cells, microRNAs were differentially expressed between the steroidal and non-steroidal AI-resistant lines. Also, a group of microRNAs were inversely expressed in the AI-resistant lines versus LTEDaro and tamoxifen-resistant. We focused our work on hsa-miR-128a which was hormone-responsive and up-regulated in the letrozole-resistant cell lines. Human miR-128a was shown to negatively target TGFBRI protein expression by binding to the 3’UTR region of the gene. Loss of TGFBRI resulted in compromised sensitivity to the growth inhibitory effects of TGFB in the letrozole-resistant lines. Inhibition of endogenous miR-128a resulted in re-sensitization of the letrozole-resistant lines to TGFB growth inhibitory effects. This data suggests that the hormone-responsive miR-128a can modulate TGFB signaling and survival of the letrozole-resistant cell lines. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address the role of microRNA regulation as well as TGFB signaling in AI-resistant breast cancer cell lines. We believe that in addition to estrogen-modulation of gene expression, hormone-regulated microRNAs may provide an additional level of post-transcriptional regulation of signaling pathways critically involved in breast cancer progression and AI-resistance. To look at microRNA expression profiles of breast cancer cell lines derived from MCF-7 cells that are resistant to endocrine therapy agents. MCF-7 cells that overexpress aromatase (MCF-7aro) were cultured long-term in the presence of endocrine therapy agents until cells acquired resistance. Three different aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole or exemestane) were used, as well as the ER antagonist tamoxifen, or the hormone-free long-term estrogen deprived cells (LTED). Three replicates of the control cells (MCF-7aro) and all resistant cells were used for microarray experiments. Total of 23 samples were analyzed by microarray.

Dataset Information

Amphiregulin retains ERα expression in acquired aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancer cells.

Publications

Amphiregulin retains ERα expression in acquired aromatase inhibitor resistant breast cancer cells.

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