Project description:Epidemiological studies highlight a strong association between obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC). This association appears stronger in men and a role for sex hormones is indicated by epidemiological studies. Especially estrogen is protective against CRC and correlated to several aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic effects of estrogen in colon have been demonstrated to act via estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). This led us to hypothesize that estrogenic signaling, through both systemic and local effects might modulate the colon microenvironment during HFD-induced obesity. In order to test our hypothesis mice were fed a control diet or a high fat diet (HFD) for 3 weeks and treated with different estrogenic ligands. In the present study, we demonstrate that there are sex-differences in the response to HFD-induced obesity and in the colon transcriptome. Both sexes develop obesity with an impaired circadian rhythm but the male metabolic profile is more sensitive to HFD and increased the colon epithelial cell proliferation. Females were resistant to impaired glucose metabolism, but HFD-feeding increased the infiltration of macrophages. Estrogen signaling in males, via ERα, presented anti-obesogenic effects. However, systemic and/or local activation of both ERα and ERβ restored the circadian rhythm in the males. In females, systemic activation of ERα restored the circadian rhythm, however, systemic and/or local activation of ERβ down-regulated the expression of macrophage markers. These results suggest that estrogen signaling through systemic and/or local activation of ERβ can regulate the colon microenvironment during HFD-induced obesity.
Project description:Assess the full impact of estrogen receptor beta on transcription by a full transcriptome analysis of ERb-mediated gene regulation in the SW480 colon cancer cell line. The colon cancer cell line SW480 does not express endogenous ER but is made ERb-expressing by lentiviral transduction of an ERb expression cassette. Introduction of ERb makes it possible to study the role and function of ERb in colon cancer as well as the impact ERb has on its own (in the absence of ERa).
Project description:Gene expression analyses were carried out to identify genes regulated by 17-beta estradiol (E2) and Hydroxytamoxifen (OHT) through GPR30 in SKBR3 cells, a breast cancer cell-line which expresses GPR30 but lacks Estrogen Receptor alpha or beta. Keywords: Gene expression analysis, Non-genomic signaling in breast cancer cells.
Project description:Chromatogram library generated of pooled sample. Coculture spheroids formed from fibroblast and colon cancer cell lines, and monoculture spheroids formed from the colon cancer cell line HCT116.