Abstract
Background: Both epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that excessive alcohol exposure increases the risk for breast cancer and enhances metastasis/recurrence. We have previously demonstrated that alcohol enhanced the migration/invasion of breast cancer cells and cancer cells overexpressing ErbB2/HER2 were more sensitive to alcohol exposure. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms underlying alcohol-enhanced aggressiveness of breast cancer. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in cancer metastasis and recurrence. Methods: We evaluated the effect of chronic alcohol exposure on mammary tumor development/metastasis in MMTV-neu transgenic mice and investigated the cell signaling in response to alcohol exposure in breast cancer cells overexpressing ErbB2/HER2. Results and discussion: Chronic alcohol exposure increased breast cancer stem cell-like CSC population and enhanced the lung and colon metastasis in MMTV-neu transgenic mice. Alcohol exposure caused a drastic increase in CSC population and mammosphere formation in breast cancer cells overexpressing ErbB2/HER2. Alcohol exposure stimulated the phosphorylation of p38γ MAPK (p-p38γ) which was co-localized with phosphorylated ErbB2 and CSCs in the mammary tumor tissues. In vitro results confirmed that alcohol activated ErbB2/HER2 and selectively increased p-p38γ MAPK as well as the interaction between p38γ MAPK and its substrate, SAP97. However, alcohol did not affect the expression/phosphorylation of p38α/β MAPKs. In breast cancer cell lines, high expression of ErbB2 and p-p38γ MAPK was generally correlated with more CSC population. Blocking ErbB2 signaling abolished heregulin β1- and alcohol-stimulated p-p38γ MAPK and its association with SAP97. More importantly, p38γ MAPK siRNA significantly inhibited an alcohol-induced increase in CSC population, mammosphere formation and migration/invasion of breast cancer cells overexpressing ErbB2. Conclusions: p38γ MAPK is downstream of ErbB2 and plays an important role in alcohol-enhanced aggressiveness of breast cancer. Therefore, in addition to ErbB2/HER2, p38γ MAPK may be a potential target for the treatment of alcohol-enhanced cancer aggressiveness.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 52 |
Journal | Molecular Cancer |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 14 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (AA017226 and AA015407).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Luo et al.
Keywords
- Alcohol
- Cancer stem cell
- MCF7-ErbB2
- Metastasis
- P38 gamma
- Tumor promotion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Medicine
- Oncology
- Cancer Research