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GPER functions as a tumor suppressor in MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells

  • Original Article – Cancer Research
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

The orphan, membrane-bound estrogen receptor (GPER) is expressed at high levels in a large fraction of breast cancer patients, and its expression is favorable for patients’ survival. We investigated the role of GPER as a potential tumor suppressor in MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells.

Methods

The effect of GPER agonist G-1 in cell culture was used to determine whether GPER inhibit cell growth. The methylation status of GPER promoter was investigated by methylation-specific PCR.

Results

GPER-specific agonist G-1 inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation in concentration-dependent manner via induction of the cell cycle arrest in M-phase, enhanced phosphorylation of histone 3 and cell apoptosis. Analysis of the methylation status of the GPER promoter in MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells revealed that GPER expression is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms and GPER expression is inactivated by promoter methylation. Overall, our results are consistent with our recent findings in triple-negative breast cancer cells, and the cell surface expression of GPER makes it an excellent potential therapeutic target for non-triple-negative breast cancer.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Deutsche Krebshilfe to AI.

Conflict of interest

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Clinic Magdeburg, Gerhart-Hauptmann Str. 35, 39108, Magdeburg, Germany

    Christine Weißenborn, Tanja Ignatov, Serban D. Costa & Atanas Ignatov

  2. Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Clinic Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

    Christine Weißenborn & Ana Claudia Zenclussen

  3. Department of Pathology, University Clinic Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

    Angela Poehlmann

  4. Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Anja K. Wege

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  1. Christine Weißenborn
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  2. Tanja Ignatov
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  3. Angela Poehlmann
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  4. Anja K. Wege
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  5. Serban D. Costa
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  6. Ana Claudia Zenclussen
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  7. Atanas Ignatov
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Correspondence to Atanas Ignatov.

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Weißenborn, C., Ignatov, T., Poehlmann, A. et al. GPER functions as a tumor suppressor in MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 140, 663–671 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-014-1598-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-014-1598-2

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