title: Human rhabdomyosarcoma cells express functional pituitary and gonadal sex hormone receptors: Therapeutic implications.
abstract: Evidence has accumulated that sex hormones play an important role in several types of cancer. Because they are also involved in skeletal muscle development and regeneration, we were therefore interested in their potential involvement in the pathogenesis of human rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a skeletal muscle tumor. In the present study, we employed eight RMS cell lines (three fusion positive and five fusion negative RMS cell lines) and mRNA samples obtained from RMS patients. The expression of sex hormone receptors was evaluated by RT-PCR and their functionality by chemotaxis, adhesion and direct cell proliferation assays. We report here for the first time that follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors are expressed in established human RMS cell lines as well as in primary tumor samples isolated from RMS patients. We also report that human RMS cell lines responded both to pituitary and gonadal sex hormone stimulation by enhanced proliferation, chemotaxis, cell adhesion and phosphorylation of MAPKp42/44 and AKT. In summary, our results indicate that sex hormones are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of RMS, and therefore, their therapeutic application should be avoided in patients that have been diagnosed with RMS.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poniewierska-Baran
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Wenyue
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdelbaset-Ismail
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Frederic G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Mariusz Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Ratajczak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011962:Receptors, FSH / Q000235:genetics*; D011974:Receptors, LH / Q000235:genetics*; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D011962:Receptors, FSH; D011974:Receptors, LH