Regulation of Sialyltransferase Expression by Estradiol and 4-OH-Tamoxifen in the Human Breast Cancer Cell MCF-7

• Published in: Molecular cell biology research communications 2000-01, Vol.3 (1), p.48-52
• Main Authors: Peyrat, Jean-Philippe, Recchi, Marie-Ange, Hebbar, Mohamed, Pawlowski, Valerie, Hornez, Louis, Dong-Lebouhris, Xuefen, Hondermarck, Hubert, Harduin-Lepers, Anne, Delannoy, Philippe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - pharmacology; Biochemistry; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biodiversity; Biotechnology; breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - enzymology; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Cancer; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; estradiol; Estradiol - pharmacology; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic - drug effects; Genomics; Humans; Life Sciences; MCF-7; Molecular biology; Molecular Networks; Populations and Evolution; Quantitative Methods; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - metabolism; sialyltransferases; Sialyltransferases - genetics; Sialyltransferases - metabolism; Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy; tamoxifen; Tamoxifen - pharmacology; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 1522-4724; 1522-4732
• DOI: 10.1006/mcbr.2000.0185

We have addressed the effects of estradiol and 4-OH-tamoxifen on the expression of five sialyltransferases in the hormono-dependent MCF-7 cell line using a Multiplex RT-PCR approach. Estradiol induced a statistically significant increase in ST3Gal III and a decrease in ST6Gal I, whereas the two other enzymes, ST3Gal IV and ST3Gal I, are not modified and expression of the fifth enzyme, ST3Gal II, was very low or not detectable. Estradiol effects were dose dependent and completely antagonized by 4OH-tamoxifen. In addition, there is no direct relation between cellular proliferation and sialyltransferase expression. This suggests that ST3Gal III and ST6Gal I could be used as supplementary markers of hormono-sensitivity in breast cancer.