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Human chorionic gonadotropin decreases human breast cancer cell proliferation and promotes differentiation
Author(s) -
Liao XingHua,
Wang Yue,
Wang Nan,
Yan TingBao,
Xing WenJing,
Zheng Li,
Zhao DongWei,
Li YanQi,
Liu LongYue,
Sun XueGuang,
Hu Peng,
Zhang TongCun
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1002/iub.1269
Subject(s) - human chorionic gonadotropin , endocrinology , medicine , cell growth , luteinizing hormone , cellular differentiation , biology , cancer cell , progesterone receptor , gonadotropin , cancer research , estrogen receptor , breast cancer , cancer , hormone , biochemistry , gene , genetics
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein produced by placental trophoblasts. Previous studies indicated that hCG could be responsible for the pregnancy‐induced protection against breast cancer in women. It is reported that hCG decreases proliferation and invasion of breast cancer MCF‐7 cells. Our research also demonstrates that hCG can reduce the proliferation of MCF‐7 cells by downregulating the expression of proliferation markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and proliferation‐related Ki‐67 antigen (Ki‐67). Interestingly, we find here that hCG elevates the state of cellular differentiation, as characterized by the upregulation of differentiation markers, β‐casein, cytokeratin‐18 (CK‐18), and E‐cadherin. Inhibition of hCG secretion or luteinizing hormone/hCG receptors (LH/hCGRs) synthesis can weaken the effect of hCG on the induction of cell differentiation. Furthermore, hCG can suppress the expression of estrogen receptor alpha. hCG activated receptor‐mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathway. These findings indicated that a protective effect of hCG against breast cancer may be associated with its growth inhibitory and differentiation induction function in breast cancer cells. © 2014 IUBMB Life, 66(5):352–360, 2014