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Estrogen sensing by GPER1 activates PI3K/mTOR to promote gender dimorphism in liver growth and cancer

ABSTRACT: Liver cancer is a common cause of cancer death, with a male-predominant incidence due, in part, to increased estrogen levels in cirrhotic patients. It is unknown, however, how estrogen is sensed to influence this process. Here, we show that estrogen activates the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1), expressed in hepatocytes, to enhancing hepatocyte size, cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, thereby increasing liver growth in zebrafish larvae and adults. GPER1 stimulation activates PI3K/mTOR signaling, and mTOR is essential for both normal and regenerative organ growth. Genetic loss of GPER1 diminishes and estrogen exposure accelerates chemical carcinogenesis, specifically in males. Chemical inhibition of GPER1 significantly reduces cancer incidence and progression in a gender-specific fashion. Our studies identify GPER1 as a hepatic estrogen sensor that mediates gender dimorphic growth, mTOR activation, and can serve as a therapeutic target for liver cancer treatment.

ORGANISM(S): Danio rerio

PROVIDER: GSE92544 | GEO | 2019/05/29

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Gender effects in the incidence of childhood cancers have been described but the aetiology still needs to be fully examined. Given the latent period of e.g. leukemia, its very early onset in childhood might indicate the foetal period as a critical period. We consequently hypothesize that gender-specific differences in childhood cancer incidence (males have a much higher incidence of leukaemia and lymphomas) may be due to gender-specific responses to exposure to environmental carcinogens in utero. We considered that whole genome transcriptomics analysis in cord blood may provide mechanistic insight into possible gender-specific effects of carcinogen exposure in utero. Thus, the objective of the current study was to investigate whether transcriptomic responses to dietary genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens (i.e. acrylamide and endocrine disruptors) as analyzed in umbilical cord blood samples, demonstrate gender-specific mechanisms-of-action relevant for chemical carcinogenesis. For internal exposure assessment, the CALUX® assay was applied for measuring dioxin(-like), androgen(-like) and estrogen(-like) exposure, and acrylamide-hemoglobin adduct levels were determined by mass spectrometry. To link gene expression to an established phenotypic biomarker of cancer risk, micronuclei frequencies were investigated in T-lymphocytes. While exposure levels did not differ significantly between sexes at birth, important gender-specific differences were observed in gene expressions associated with these exposures. These genes appeared linked with cell cycle-related processes and general cellular processes such as (post) translation, as well as with immune-related pathways. Moreover, oppositely correlating leukemia and lymphoma genes between male and female newborns were identified in relation to the different biomarkers of exposure which might be relevant to male-specific predisposition to develop these cancers in childhood. This study reveals different transcriptomic responses to environmental carcinogens between the sexes In particular, male-specific TNF-alpha-NF-kB signaling upon dioxin exposure and activation of the Wnt pathway in boys upon acrylamide exposure might represent possible mechanistic explanations for the male predominance in the incidence of childhood leukemia.

Project description:Gender effects in the incidence of childhood cancers have been described but the aetiology still needs to be fully examined. Given the latent period of e.g. leukemia, its very early onset in childhood might indicate the foetal period as a critical period. We consequently hypothesize that gender-specific differences in childhood cancer incidence (males have a much higher incidence of leukaemia and lymphomas) may be due to gender-specific responses to exposure to environmental carcinogens in utero. We considered that whole genome transcriptomics analysis in cord blood may provide mechanistic insight into possible gender-specific effects of carcinogen exposure in utero. Thus, the objective of the current study was to investigate whether transcriptomic responses to dietary genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens (i.e. acrylamide and endocrine disruptors) as analyzed in umbilical cord blood samples, demonstrate gender-specific mechanisms-of-action relevant for chemical carcinogenesis. For internal exposure assessment, the CALUXM-BM-. assay was applied for measuring dioxin(-like), androgen(-like) and estrogen(-like) exposure, and acrylamide-hemoglobin adduct levels were determined by mass spectrometry. To link gene expression to an established phenotypic biomarker of cancer risk, micronuclei frequencies were investigated in T-lymphocytes. While exposure levels did not differ significantly between sexes at birth, important gender-specific differences were observed in gene expressions associated with these exposures. These genes appeared linked with cell cycle-related processes and general cellular processes such as (post) translation, as well as with immune-related pathways. Moreover, oppositely correlating leukemia and lymphoma genes between male and female newborns were identified in relation to the different biomarkers of exposure which might be relevant to male-specific predisposition to develop these cancers in childhood. This study reveals different transcriptomic responses to environmental carcinogens between the sexes In particular, male-specific TNF-alpha-NF-kB signaling upon dioxin exposure and activation of the Wnt pathway in boys upon acrylamide exposure might represent possible mechanistic explanations for the male predominance in the incidence of childhood leukemia. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected immediately after birth from the cord vein of 45 male and 66 female babies whose mothers participated in the Norwegian BraMat cohort. For analyses, each individual cord blood sample was labelled by means of Cyanine-5 and competitively hybridized against a common reference sample (pooled RNA cord blood samples, labelled with Cyanine-3) onto Agilent 4x44k human oligonucleotide microarrays (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) according to the manufacturerM-bM-^@M-^Ys instructions.

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Estrogen sensing by GPER1 activates PI3K/mTOR to promote gender dimorphism in liver growth and cancer

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