Shuqiao Chai
Tanzania
Research Article
Mechanistic Progress of Estrogen-induced Apoptosis in Estrogen-deprived
Breast Cancer Cells
Author(s): Shuqiao Chai and Ping FanShuqiao Chai and Ping Fan
The laboratory discovery of estrogen-induced apoptosis has been translated to treat antihormone resistant patients and to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in postmenopausal hysterectomized women with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). The key step is the selection pressure exerted by long-term antiestrogen therapy or over 5 years of menopause to specific breast cancer cell populations that will be vulnerable to estrogen-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanisms underlying estrogen-induced apoptosis are currently unclear. At the cellular level, estrogen-induced apoptosis is dependent upon the estrogen receptor (ER), which can be completely blocked by antiestrogen ICI 182,780 or 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT). Knockdown of ER alpha, but not ER beta, through specific small interfering RNAs effectively blocks estrogen-induced apoptosis, indicating that the ER alpha subtype participates.. View More»
