Une exposition à de faibles doses d'alkylphénols entraine des altérations de épithélium mammaires et des défauts transgénérationnels mais n'augmente pas le potentiel tumorigénique des cellules cancéreuses mammaires

International audienceFetal and neonatal exposure to long chain alkylphenols has been suspected to promote breast developmental disorders and consequently to increase breast cancer risk. However, disease predisposition from developmental exposures remains unclear. In this work, human MCF-10A mammary epithelial cells were exposed in vitro to a low dose of a realistic [4-nonylphenol+4-tert-octylphenol] mixture. Transcriptome and cell phenotype analyses combined to functional and signaling network modeling indicated that long chain alkylphenols triggered enhanced proliferation, migration ability and apoptosis resistance and shed light on the underlying molecular mechanisms which involved the human estrogen receptor variant ERα36. A male mouse inherited transgenerational model of exposure to 3 environmentally relevant doses of the alkylphenol mix was set up in order to determine whether and how it would impact on mammary gland architecture. Mammary glands from F3 progeny obtained after intrabuccal chronic exposure of C57BL/6J P0 pregnant mice followed by F1 to F3 male inheritance displayed an altered histology which correlated with the phenotypes observed in vitro in human mammary epithelial cells. Since cellular phenotypes are similar in vivo and in vitro and involve the unique ERα36 human variant, such consequences of alkylphenol exposure could be extrapolated from mouse model to human. However, transient alkylphenol treatment combined to ERα36 overexpression in mammary epithelial cells were not sufficient to trigger tumorigenesis in xenografted Nude mice. Therefore, it remains to be determined if low dose alkylphenol transgenerational exposure and subsequent abnormal mammary gland development could account for an increased breast cancer susceptibility

Transgenerational effects of ERalpha36 over-expression on mammary gland development and molecular phenotype: clinical perspective for breast cancer risk and therapy.

International audienceGrowing source of evidence suggests that exposure to estrogen mimicking agents is a risk factor for breast cancer onset and progression. Long chain alkylphenols are man made compounds still present in household products, industrial and agricultural processes, leading to a global environmental and human contamination. These molecules are known to exert estrogen -like activities through binding to classical estrogen receptors. Recently, we have demonstrated that a realistic mixture of 4 tert - octylphenol and 4 - nonylphenol can stimulate proliferation and modulate epigenetic status of testicular cancer germ cells through a rapid, Estrogen Receptor alpha 36 (ERα36) -dependent non genomic pathway (Ajj et al, 2013; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061758). In a retrospective study of breast tumor samples, we also validated ERα36 expression as a reliable prognostic factor for cancer progression from an estrogen dependent prolifera tive tumor toward an estrogen dispensable metastatic disease (Chamard - Jovenin et al, 2015; doi: 10.1186/s12918 - 015 - 0178 - 7). Since high ERα36 expression enhances expression of migration/invasion markers in breast tumors, we addressed the question of its involvement in response to alkylphenol exposure in vitro (MCF -10A mammary epithelial cell line and MCF -7 estrogen -sensitive cancer cells) and in vivo ( C57BL mice). A male inherited transgenerational model of exposure to environmentally relevant doses of an alkylphenol mix was set up in C57BL/6J mice to determine whether and how it impacts on mammary gland morphogenesis. Human mammary epithelial MCF -10A cells were exposed to similar doses to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved by a combination of transcriptomic study, cell phenotype analyses, functional and signaling network modeling. The relevance of mouse phenotype extrapolation to human risk is discussed. Mouse mammary gland exposed transgenerationally to the alkylphenol mix displayed a neoplastic -like histology. This phenotype was correlated with the enhanced proliferation, migration ability and apoptosis resistance observed in vitro on human mammary epithelial cells and mediated by the estrogen receptor variant ERα36. Since cellular phenotypes are similar in vivo and in vitro and involve the unique ERα36 human variant , such consequences of alkylphenol exposure could be extrapolated from mouse model to human. Low dose alkylphenol transgenerational exposure could promote abnormal mammary gland development and subsequently increase the risk of breast cancer at ageing

Lifelong testicular differentiation in Pleurodeles waltl (Amphibia, Caudata)

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Regulation of ERα36 expression: a revamped network in the old story of breast tumors

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Dual epigenetic regulation of ERα36 expression in breast cancer cells

International audienceBreast cancer remains the major cause of cancer-induced morbidity and mortality in women. Among the different molecular subtypes, luminal tumors yet considered of good prognosis often develop acquired resistance to endocrine therapy. Recently, misregulation of ERα36 was reported to play a crucial role in this process. High expression of this ERα isoform was associated to preneoplastic phenotype in mammary epithelial cells, disease progression, and enhanced resistance to therapeutic agents in breast tumors. In this study, we identified two mechanisms that could together contribute to ERα36 expression regulation. We first focused on hsa-miR-136-5p, an ERα36 3’UTR-targeting microRNA, the expression of which inversely correlated to the ERα36 one in breast cancer cells. Transfection of hsa-miR136-5p mimic in MCF-7 cells resulted in downregulation of ERα36. Moreover, the demethylating agent decitabine was able to stimulate hsa-miR-136-5p endogenous expression, thus indirectly decreasing ERα36 expression and counteracting tamoxifen-dependent stimulation. The methylation status of ERα36 promoter also directly modulated its expression level, as demonstrated after decitabine treatment of breast cancer cell and confirmed in a set of tumor samples. Taken together, these results open the way to a direct and an indirect ERα36 epigenetic modulation by decitabine as a promising clinical strategy to counteract acquired resistance to treatment and prevent relapse

An alkylphenol mix promotes proliferation of seminoma-like TCam-2 cell line through ERalpha36-dependent mechanisms

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Analysis of the Effects of Different Alcohols on MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

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