Leptin induces, via ERK1/ERK2 signal, functional activation of estrogen receptor alpha in MCF-7 cells.
Leptin is a hormone with multiple biological actions, produced predominantly by adipose tissue. In humans, plasma levels correlate with total body fat, and high concentrations occur in obese women. Among its functions, leptin is able to stimulate normal and tumor cell growth. We demonstrated that leptin induces aromatase activity in MCF-7 cells evidencing its important role in enhancing in situ estradiol production and promoting estrogen-dependent breast cancer progression. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), which plays an essential role in breast cancer development, can be transcriptionally activated in a ligand-independent manner. Taking into account that unliganded ERalpha is an effector of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal and that leptin is able, via Janus kinase, to activate the Ras-dependent MAPK pathway, in the present study we investigate the ability of leptin to transactivate ERalpha. We provided evidence that leptin is able to reproduce the classic features of ERalpha transactivation in a breast cancer cell line: nuclear localization, down-regulation of its mRNA and protein levels, and up-regulation of a classic estrogen-dependent gene such as pS2. Transactivation experiments with a transfected reporter gene for nuclear ER showed an activation of ERalpha either in MCF-7 or in HeLa cells. Using a dominant negative ERK2 or the MAPK inhibitor PD 98059, we showed that leptin activates the ERalpha through the MAPK pathway. The N-terminal transcriptional activation function 1 appears essential for the leptin response. Finally, it is worth noting that leptin exposure potentates also the estradiol-induced activation of ERalpha. Thus, we are able to demonstrate that the amplification of estrogen signal induced by leptin occurs through an enhancing in situ E(2) production as well as a direct functional activation of ERalpha.
Centro Sanitario, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza 87030, Italy.
Stefania
S
Catalano
Loredana
L
Mauro
Stefania
S
Marsico
Cinzia
C
Giordano
Pietro
P
Rizza
Vittoria
V
Rago
Daniela
D
Montanaro
Marcello
M
Maggiolini
Maria Luisa
ML
Panno
Sebastiano
S
Andó
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D015854:Up-Regulation
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005419:Flavonoids; D020738:Leptin; D008024:Ligands; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D012313:RNA; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C093973:2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one