title: Polyethylene glycol-mediated colorectal cancer chemoprevention: roles of epidermal growth factor receptor and Snail.
abstract: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a clinically widely used agent with profound chemopreventive properties in experimental colon carcinogenesis. We reported previously that Snail/beta-catenin signaling may mediate the suppression of epithelial proliferation by PEG, although the upstream events remain unclear. We report herein the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a known mediator of Snail and overexpressed in approximately 80% of human colorectal cancers, on PEG-mediated antiproliferative and hence antineoplastic effects in azoxymethane (AOM) rats and HT-29 colon cancer cells. AOM rats were randomized to either standard diet or one with 10% PEG-3350 and euthanized 8 weeks later. The colonic samples were subjected to immunohistochemical or Western blot analyses. PEG decreased mucosal EGFR by 60% (P < 0.001). Similar PEG effects were obtained in HT-29 cells. PEG suppressed EGFR protein via lysosmal degradation with no change in mRNA levels. To show that EGFR antagonism per se was responsible for the antiproliferative effect, we inhibited EGFR by either pretreating cells with gefitinib or stably transfecting with EGFR-short hairpin RNA and measured the effect of PEG on proliferation. In either case, PEG effect was blunted, suggesting a vital role of EGFR. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that EGFR-short hairpin RNA cells, besides having reduced membrane EGFR, also expressed low Snail levels (40%), corroborating a strong association. Furthermore, in EGFR silenced cells, PEG effect on EGFR or Snail was muted, similar to that on proliferation. In conclusion, we show that EGFR is the proximate membrane signaling molecule through which PEG initiates antiproliferative activity with Snail/beta-catenin pathway playing the central intermediary function.
authors.affiliation: Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Department of Internal Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 1001 University Place, Suite 314, Evanston, IL 60201, USA. rwali@enh.org
authors.forename: Ramesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Wali
authors.forename: Dhananjay P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kunte
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Koetsier
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bissonnette
authors.forename: Hemant K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001397:Azoxymethane; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D018890:Chemoprevention; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077156:Gefitinib; D019073:HT29 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D011799:Quinazolines; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C000604450:Snai2 protein, rat; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D001397:Azoxymethane; D000077156:Gefitinib
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