n-Butyl benzyl phthalate promotes breast cancer progression by inducing expression of lymphoid enhancer factor 1.
Environmental hormones play important roles in regulating the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, drug resistance, and breast cancer risk; however, their precise role in human breast cancer cells during cancer progression remains unclear. To elucidate the effect of the most widely used industrial phthalate, n-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), on cancer progression, we evaluated the results of BBP treatment using a whole human genome cDNA microarray and MetaCore software and selected candidate genes whose expression was changed by more than ten-fold by BBP compared with controls to analyze the signaling pathways in human breast cancer initiating cells (R2d). A total of 473 genes were upregulated, and 468 were downregulated. Most of these genes are involved in proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis signaling. BBP induced the viability, invasion and migration, and tube formation in vitro, and Matrigel plug angiogenesis in vivo of R2d and MCF-7. Furthermore, the viability and invasion and migration of these cell lines following BBP treatment was reduced by transfection with a small interfering RNA targeting the mRNA for lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1; notably, the altered expression of this gene consistently differentiated tumors expressing genes involved in proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis. These findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular impact of the environmental hormone BBP and suggest possible strategies for preventing and treating human breast cancer.
Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Tsung-Hua
TH
Hsieh
Cheng-Fang
CF
Tsai
Chia-Yi
CY
Hsu
Po-Lin
PL
Kuo
Edward
E
Hsi
Jau-Ling
JL
Suen
Chih-Hsing
CH
Hung
Jau-Nan
JN
Lee
Chee-Yin
CY
Chai
Shao-Chun
SC
Wang
Eing-Mei
EM
Tsai
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts / Q000494:pharmacology; D014945:Wound Healing
D018076:DNA, Complementary; C497573:LEF1 protein, human; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; C059087:2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-((phenylamino)carbonyl)-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide; D012313:RNA; C027561:butylbenzyl phthalate