Endocrine disruption of oestrogen action and female reproductive tract cancers
2014 Study Abstract
Interestingly, gene expression analysis indicates that developmental DES exposure results in persistent altered gene expression of oestrogen-responsive genes in the uterus that may explain the increased susceptibility to tumour development.
Gene ontology analysis of microarray data revealed altered expression of genes involved in cell growth, differentiation and adhesion collected uterine cancer tissue RNA from DES-exposed mice by laser capture microdissection to minimise contamination with other cell types and performed targeted transcriptional profiling. Interestingly, the tumour suppressor PTEN was down-regulated in the majority of tumours, analogous to loss of PTEN expression in human tumours. In addition, genes associated with cell adhesion, such as Decorin, were down-regulated in DES-induced tumours while suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (Socs3) was over-expressed. Other studies have also identified molecular similarities between DES-induced tumours in mice and endometrial cancer in humans, such as microsatellite instability brought about by defects in expression of DNA mismatch repair genes such as MSH2 and MSH6.
It could be argued that the apparent trans-generational effect of endocrine disruption is of greater significance. Following neonatal DES exposure in mice, the F1 generation of DES daughters have an increased incidence of uterine adenocarcinoma found that 31% of F1 females from the maternal germ cell lineage developed tumours after 18 months despite there being no exogenous endocrine exposure in these animals, highlighting the potential for future risk to the daughters of DES-exposed women. DES is reported to induce epigenetic changes. Altered methylation patterns have been reported for several uterine genes that are permanently dysregulated after developmental DES exposure; lactoferrin and c-Fos are permanently up-regulated following neonatal DES exposure to due to hypomethylation of the promoter region.
DES has been reported to promote hypermethylation of the homeobox gene Hoxa10 in mice exposed in utero to DES. DES exposure was also associated with increased expression of DNA methyltransferases 1 and 3b leading to long-term altered expression of Hoxa10. Contrary to the reported action of DES on Hoxa10, exposure to BPA in mice in utero results in hypomethylation of the Hoxa10 promoter, which leads to enhanced binding of ERα to EREs in the promoter region and an increase in an ERE-driven reporter gene in vitro.
Thus, epigenetic changes in uterine genes may indicate a possible mechanism for trans-generational effects of DES because altered expression of genes is reported to persist in DES-lineage females.
Sources and more information
- Full text (free access) : Endocrine disruption of oestrogen action and female reproductive tract cancers, Society for Endocrinology, Endocrine Related Cancer, doi: 10.1530/ERC-13-0342, April 1, 2014.
- Russian doll beauty and the beast featured image credit rawdonfox.
DES DIETHYLSTILBESTROL RESOURCES
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