Role of specificity protein transcription factors in estrogen-induced gene expression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Deletion analysis of several 17beta-estradiol (E(2))-responsive genes have identified GC-rich sites that are associated with hormone-induced transactivation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. However, the role of individual specificity proteins (Sps) in mediating hormone-induced gene expression has not been unequivocally determined. In transient transfection studies using E(2)-responsive GC-rich promoters from the E(2)F1, carbamoylphosphate synthetase/aspartate transcarbamylase/dihydroorotase (CAD), and retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) genes, RNA interference using small inhibitory RNAs for Sp1 (iSp1), Sp3 (iSp3), and Sp4 (iSp4) decreased both basal and E(2)-induced transactivation. The contributions of individual Sp proteins to basal and E(2)-induced activity were promoter dependent. iSp1, iSp3, and iSp4 also significantly inhibited hormonal induction of E(2)F1, CAD, and RAR alpha mRNA levels; however, the enhanced inhibitory effects of the latter two small inhibitory RNAs suggest that Sp3 and Sp4 play a major role in estrogen receptor alpha/Sp-mediated gene expression in MCF-7 cells.

published proceedings

  • J Mol Endocrinol

author list (cited authors)

  • Khan, S., Wu, F., Liu, S., Wu, Q., & Safe, S.

citation count

  • 20

complete list of authors

  • Khan, Shaheen||Wu, Fei||Liu, Shengxi||Wu, Qian||Safe, Stephen

publication date

  • October 2007