PMID: 11929836Apr 4, 2002Paper

Human non-small cell lung tumors and cells derived from normal lung express both estrogen receptor alpha and beta and show biological responses to estrogen

Cancer Research
Laura P StabileJill M Siegfried

Abstract

Lung cancer is becoming increasingly common in women and in the United States accounts for more female cancer deaths annually than breast cancer. Many epidemiological studies have provided evidence that women are more susceptible than men to the adverse effects of tobacco smoke. These observations suggest the possible role of estrogens in lung carcinogenesis. We report here the expression of mRNA for estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta) in cultured human non-small cell lung cancer cells, cultured lung fibroblasts, and primary cultures of normal bronchial epithelium. Western analysis of ERalpha suggested that the main protein expressed in lung tumor cells is a variant, probably attributable to alternative splicing. Protein for ERbeta was found to be a mixture of full-length as well as alternatively spliced variants. beta-Estradiol produced a proliferative response in vitro in both normal lung fibroblasts and cultured non-small cell lung tumor cells. This effect was also observed in vivo. In this regard, beta-estradiol stimulated growth of the non-small cell lung tumor line, H23, grown as tumor xenografts in SCID mice. This effect was blocked by fluvestrant (ICI 182,780). In paraffin sections of non-small cell lung...Continue Reading

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