title: Increase in the levels of chaperone proteins by exposure to beta-estradiol, bisphenol A and 4-methoxyphenol in human cells transfected with estrogen receptor alpha cDNA.
abstract: We examined changes in the levels of chaperone proteins to evaluate the toxic effects of environmental chemicals in human cells in vitro. Some chaperones are up-regulated by estrogenic chemicals, but the effect is not necessarily dependent on the receptor. Thus we also investigated whether a chemical-induced change in chaperone protein expression is human estrogen receptor (hER)-dependent or not, using cultured human cell lines transfected with hERalpha cDNA or an empty vector. In the hERalpha-expressed cells, the protein levels of the heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), the glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78/BiP), and GRP94 increased after exposure to beta-estradiol (E(2)) (from 10(-9)M to 10(-6)M) and bisphenol A (BPA) (from 10(-6)M to 10(-5)M). On the other hand, the increase was not observed in the cells without hERalpha expression. These results suggest that the E(2)- and BPA-induced increase in the protein levels were hERalpha dependent. We next examined the effect of four phenolic chemicals similar in structure to BPA, and found that among them, 4-methoxyphenol (from 10(-6)M to 10(-5)M) increased the levels of the chaperone proteins with hERalpha dependency. Thus the human cultured cells would be suitable for evaluating whether an increase in chaperone proteins occurs upon exposure to environmental chemicals and whether the effect is ER-dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. kita@faculty.chiba-u.jp
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Yuan-Hu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Shi-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumiya
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hongo
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000840:Anisoles / Q000633:toxicity*; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D004958:Estradiol / Q000633:toxicity*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D006873:Hydroquinones / Q000633:toxicity; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010636:Phenols / Q000633:toxicity*; D014162:Transfection; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D000840:Anisoles; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D004958:Estradiol; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D006873:Hydroquinones; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D010636:Phenols; C000717247:HSPA5 protein, human; C057725:HSPB1 protein, human; C053387:endoplasmin; C009760:mequinol; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds; C006862:butylphen; C031927:hydroquinone