A truncated Ah receptor blocks the hypoxia and estrogen receptor signaling pathways: a viable approach for breast cancer treatment

Mol Pharm. 2006 Nov-Dec;3(6):695-703. doi: 10.1021/mp0600438.

Abstract

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor which requires heterodimerization with the Ah receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) for function. Arnt is also a dimerization partner of the hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) for the hypoxia signaling. Additionally, Arnt is found to be a potent coactivator of the estrogen receptor (ER) signaling. Thus we examined whether the presence of an increased amount of AhR may suppress both the HIF-1alpha and ER signaling pathways by sequestering Arnt. We tested our hypothesis using a human AhR construct C Delta553 which is capable of heterodimerizing with Arnt in the absence of a ligand. Transient transfection studies using a corresponding luciferase reporter plasmid in MCF-7 cells showed that C Delta553 effectively suppressed the AhR, HIF-1alpha, and ER signaling pathways. Reverse transcription/real-time QPCR data showed that C Delta553 blocked the up-regulation of the target genes controlled by AhR (CYP1A1), HIF-1alpha (VEGF, aldolase C, and LDH-A), and ER (GREB1, pS2, and c-myc) in MCF-7 cells. Since both HIF-1alpha and ER are highly active in the ER-positive breast cancer, C Delta553 has the potential to be developed as a protein drug to treat breast cancer by blocking these two signaling pathways.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / therapy
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Gene Deletion
  • Genes, Reporter / drug effects
  • Genetic Therapy / methods
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia / prevention & control*
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism
  • Luciferases / metabolism
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / genetics
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / metabolism
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / therapeutic use*
  • Receptors, Estrogen / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / pharmacology
  • Recombinant Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Transfection
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • AHR protein, human
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • HIF1A protein, human
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Luciferases