ONCOGENOMICS a Genome-Wide Study of the Repressive Effects of Estrogen Receptor Beta on Estrogen Receptor Alpha Signaling in Breast Cancer Cells
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Oncogene (2008) 27, 1019–1032 & 2008 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 0950-9232/08 $30.00 www.nature.com/onc ONCOGENOMICS A genome-wide study of the repressive effects of estrogen receptor beta on estrogen receptor alpha signaling in breast cancer cells C Williams, K Edvardsson, SA Lewandowski, A Stro¨ m and J-A˚ Gustafsson Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Novum, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden Transcriptional effects of estrogen result from its activa- mediated via two estrogen receptor (ER) isoforms, that tion of two estrogen receptor (ER) isoforms; ERa that is, ER alpha (ERa) and ER beta (ERb) (Hanstein et al., drives proliferation and ERb that is antiproliferative. 2004). The second ER isoform, ERb, was discovered Expression of ERb in xenograft tumors from the T47D some 10years ago (Kuiper et al., 1996). ERa and ERb breast cancer cell line reduces tumor growth and are homologous, especially in their DNA-binding angiogenesis. If ERb can halt tumor growth, its introduc- domains (97%), but they differ in their ligand-binding tion into cancers may be a novel therapeutic approach to domains (59% identity) and in their transcriptional the treatment of estrogen-responsive cancers. To assess activating function-1 (AF-1) domains. Estrogen is non- the complete impact of ERb on transcription, we have selective for the two receptors and the binding of made a full transcriptome analysis of ERa- and ERb- estrogen results in a receptor–ligand complex that binds mediated gene regulation in T47D cell line with Tet-Off with high affinity to estrogen responsive elements regulated ERb expression. Of the 35 000 genes and (EREs) on DNA. Transcriptional regulation by the transcripts analysed, 4.1% (1434) were altered by ERa ERs may occur through a direct interaction of ERs with activation. Tet withdrawal and subsequent ERb expres- EREs or through an interaction of ER with other sion inhibited the ERa regulation of 998 genes and, in transcription factors (Sp1, AP-1 and NF-kB; McDon- addition, altered expression of 152 non-ERa-regulated nell and Norris, 2002). The two receptors can hetero- genes. ERa-induced and ERb-repressed genes were dimerize, and they may modulate each other’s effects involved in proliferation, steroid/xenobiotic metabolism (Gustafsson, 2006). ERb often behaves as an antagonist and ion transport. The ERb repressive effect was further to ERa (Nilsson et al., 2001). The basis of this confirmed by proliferation assays, where ERb was shown antagonism has been shown to be due to the reduction to completely oppose the ERa–E2 induced proliferation. in ERa protein level and reduced recruitment of the Additional analysis of ERb with a mutated DNA-binding activating protein-1 complex (Matthews et al., 2006). domain revealed that this mutant, at least for a quantity of Detection of ERa protein in a breast tumor helps to genes, antagonizes ERa even more strongly than ERb wt. identify those breast cancer patients who may respond From an examination of the genes regulated by ERa and to hormonal intervention, and measurement of ERa has ERb, we suggest that introduction of ERb may be an become standard in the clinical management of breast alternative therapeutic approach to the treatment of cancer. However, only about 50% of ERa-expressing certain cancers. tumors respond well to hormonal therapy. ERb is Oncogene (2008) 27, 1019–1032; doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1210712; expressed at high concentration in normal human published online 13 August 2007 mammary gland tissue and expression is lost or decreased in breast cancer (Palmieri et al., 2002; Keywords: estrogen receptor; microarray; breast cancer; Esslimani-Sahla et al., 2005). When it is reintroduced gene regulation into breast cancer cells, ERb is antiproliferative (Paruthiyil et al., 2004; Strom et al., 2004; Murphy et al., 2005; Hartman et al., 2006). Several investigators have used the breast cancer cell ONCOGENOMICS Introduction line MCF-7 to evaluate the transcriptional effect of ERa in response to estrogen (Frasor et al., 2003, 2004; Estrogen is involved in the regulation of the reproduc- Buterin et al., 2006), and shown that many genes tive, immune, cardiovascular, musculo/skeletal and associated with the control of cell cycle, proliferation central nervous systems. The effects of estrogens are and apoptosis are regulated by ERa. Few reports have focused on ERb, in terms of global transcriptional effects, and no direct transcriptional targets of ERb Correspondence: C Williams, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition have been convincingly described. In an effort to at Novum, Karolinska Institutet, Ha¨ lsova¨ gen 7-9, 14157 Huddinge, elucidate the gene regulatory function of ERb and the Sweden. E-mail: [email protected] mechanisms behind its suggested anti-tumorigenic role, Received 16 January 2007; revised 19 June 2007; accepted 5 July 2007; we performed a full transcriptome analysis of the cell published online 13 August 2007 line used in our recently reported experimental model of Role of ERb in breast cancer cells C Williams et al 1020 ERb-dependent reduction of breast tumors (Strom Gene expression changes caused by ERa and ERb et al., 2004; Hartman et al., 2006). We identify clear We found that the activation of ERa alone by E2 differences between gene regulation by ERa and ERb, (Comparison I, referred to as the ‘ERa profile’) resulted respectively, and report previously unknown targets of in the differential expression of 1 434 out of the analysed estrogen regulation. Our data provide further insight 35 000 transcripts. Correlations of M-values (2 log of into the interplay between the two receptors and the FC) between the replicated arrays are shown in antiproliferative actions of ERb. Figure 1d, where the arrow in Comparison (I) indicates the maximally ERa-regulated gene TFF1/pS2, FC 34.8 (confirmed with real-time PCR as upregulated 301 times). Of the 50strongest regulated genes, 40(80%) Results and discussions were upregulated. Overall the proportion of upregulated genes was 63% (897 out of 1 434 genes). When the cells We have recently reported on the use of the breast expressed both ERa and ERb (TetÀ culture), E2 cancer cell line T47D with a tetracyclin (Tet) responsive treatment affected 588 genes (Comparison IV). The element regulating ERb expression to study the role of pS2 gene was now upregulated only 4.4-fold (confirmed ERb in tumors formed from T47D cells. In the absence with real-time PCR as upregulated 53 times). The ERb- of Tet, ERb was induced in these tumors resulting in the mediated negative effect on this gene is in line with reduction of tumor size and inhibition of angiogenesis previously published data (Matthews et al., 2006). Venn (Hartman et al., 2006). To investigate the mechanisms diagram in Figure 2a further shows that Tet withdrawal by which ERb opposes the growth of ERa-positive and the subsequent ERb expression more or less tumors, we analysed the genome-wide transcriptional inhibited ERa regulation of 998 genes and, in addition, effects of ERb induction in T47D breast cancer cells. We altered expression of 152 genes not regulated when ERa examined the response of the cells to estrogen in the was the only ER expressed. The remaining 436 ERa- presence of ERa alone or ERa and ERb together, and regulated genes were still differentially expressed when the effects of induction of ERb. In the presence of Tet, ERb was present at high levels. Selective induction of ERa is the predominant receptor expressed and follow- ERb (Comparison II), excluding gene regulation possi- ing Tet withdrawal, ERb is induced to ERa at a ratio of bly inherent to the Tet-Off system as determined by approximately 4:1 (Strom et al., 2004). A mock T47D control analysis, strongly affected the expression of 196 Tet-Off PBI control was analysed to define non-ERb- genes as a result of ERb expression. Among the 50most related gene expression inherent in the Tet-Off model affected genes, 37 (74%) were downregulated following used. A 240-fold increase in ERb transcript levels was ERb expression. Thus, ERa induces and ERb negatively observed after Tet withdrawal in 17b-estradiol (E2) modulates a majority of their regulated genes. Tables 1 treated cultures; the relative ERb mRNA levels as and 2 show the top regulated genes of the ‘ERa profile’ analysed by real-time PCR are shown in Figure 1a. and ‘ERb profile’, respectively. Observation of ERb protein co-expressed with green We used the Gene Ontology classification and the fluorescent protein (GFP) confirms that there was a EASE package for a two-step functional analysis to corresponding increase from undetectable to clearly identify biological themes that were overrepresented visible levels of induced protein in the cells (Figure 1b). among the differentially expressed genes (a Gene To estimate ERa-induced gene expression, E2-treated Ontology annotation was assigned to approximately cells without the expression of ERb were compared to an 50% of the regulated genes). The most overrepresented equivalent cell line treated with the antiestrogen ICI gene group of the ‘ERa profile’ was the upregulated 182780(ICI) (Comparison I: E2 T47D Tet þ compared to genes within the ‘cell cycle’ (EASE score 4.2 e–034). ICI T47D Tet þ ). To obtain ERb-induced alterations, Here, 101 genes were significantly upregulated upon E2 three separate studies were performed comparing genes stimulation; of these 53 belonged to the subgroup altered upon the introduction of ‘active’ ERb (Compar- ‘regulation of cell cycle’ and 11 to the subgroup of ‘cell ison II: E2 T47D TetÀ compared to E2 T47D Tet þ ); cycle checkpoint’ (BRCA2, TP53, BUB1, BUB1B, genes altered upon the introduction of ‘inactive’ ERb BUB3, CCNA2, CHEK1, MAD2L1, RBBP8, TTK (Comparison III: ICI T47D TetÀ compared to ICI T47D and GTSE1).