title: Role of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade in gonadotropin-releasing hormone-induced growth inhibition of a human ovarian cancer cell line.
abstract: Although gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) have been used in the therapy of the endocrine-dependent cancers, their biological mechanism remained obscure. We have studied the roles of mitogen-activated protein kinase family in the antiproliferative effect of GnRHa on the Caov-3 human ovarian cancer cell line. Reverse transcription-PCR assays confirmed mRNA for GnRH receptor in Caov-3 cells. In the presence of 1 microM GnRHa, the proliferation of cells was significantly reduced to 76% of controls after 24 h, and the effect was sustained up to 4 days. Although GnRHa had no effect on the activation of the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), treatment of Caov-3 cells with GnRHa activated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), and its effect was more than that induced by GnRH. Activation of ERK by GnRHa occurred within 5 min, with the maximum occurring at 3 h and sustained until 24 h. GnRHa also activated ERK kinase (mitogen-activated protein/ERK kinase) and resulted in an increase in phosphorylation of son of sevenless (Sos), and Shc. Furthermore, we examined the mechanism by which GnRHa induced ERK activation. Both pertussis toxin (10 ng/ml), which inactivates Gi/Go proteins, and expression of a peptide derived from the carboxyl terminus of the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase I, which specifically blocks signaling mediated by the betagamma subunits of G proteins, blocked the GnRHa-induced ERK activation. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) also induced the ERK activity, but pretreatment of the cultured cells with PMA to down-regulate protein kinase C did not abolish the activation of ERK by GnRHa. Elimination of extracellular Ca2+ by EGTA also did not abolish the activation of ERK by GnRHa. To examine the role of ERK cascade in the antiproliferative effect of GnRHa, PD98059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein/ERK kinase, was used. This inhibitor canceled the antiproliferative effect of GnRHa and apparently reversed the GnRH-induced dephosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein, the hyperphosphorylation of which is a hallmark of G1-S transition in the cell cycle. These results provide evidence that GnRHa stimulation of ERK activity may be mediated by Gbetagamma protein, not by PMA-sensitive protein kinase C nor extracellular Ca2+ in the Caov-3 human ovarian cancer cell line, suggesting that this cascade may play an important role in the antiproliferative effect of GnRHa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohmichi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurachi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tasaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jikihara
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murata
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D016729:Leuprolide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011966:Receptors, LHRH / Q000032:analysis; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D055765:Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins; D020839:Son of Sevenless Protein, Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism; D000071425:Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D011506:Proteins; D011966:Receptors, LHRH; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; C528024:SHC1 protein, human; D055765:Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins; D020839:Son of Sevenless Protein, Drosophila; D000071425:Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D016729:Leuprolide; D002118:Calcium