Open AccessRhoA/ROCK pathway mediates the effect of oestrogen on regulating epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and proliferation in endometriosis
Author(s) -
Huang ZhiXiong,
Mao XiaoMei,
Wu RongFeng,
Huang ShaoMin,
Ding XinYu,
Chen QiongHua,
Chen QingXi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.15689
Subject(s) - rhoa , rock1 , gene knockdown , endometriosis , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , cancer research , signal transduction , mapk/erk pathway , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , endocrinology , biology , metastasis , apoptosis , cancer , biochemistry
Abstract Endometriosis is a benign gynaecological disease appearing with pelvic pain, rising dysmenorrhoea and infertility seriously impacting on 10% of reproductive‐age females. This research attempts to demonstrate the function and molecular mechanism of RhoA/ROCK pathway on epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation in endometriosis. The expression of Rho family was abnormally changed in endometriotic lesions; in particular, RhoA and ROCK1/2 were significantly elevated. Overexpression of RhoA in human eutopic endometrial epithelial cells (eutopic EECs) enhanced the cell mobility, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation, and RhoA knockdown exhibited the opposite function. Oestrogen up‐regulated the RhoA activity and expression of RhoA and ROCK1/2. RhoA overexpression reinforced the effect of oestrogen on promoting EMT and proliferation, and RhoA knockdown impaired the effect of oestrogen. oestrogen receptor α (ERα) was involved with the regulation of oestrogen on EMT and proliferation and up‐regulated RhoA activity and expression of RhoA and ROCK1/2. The function of ERα was modulated by the change in RhoA expression. Furthermore, phosphorylated ERK that was enhanced by oestrogen and ERα promoted the protein expression of RhoA/ROCK pathway. Endometriosis mouse model revealed that oestrogen enhanced the size and weight of endometriotic lesions. The expression of RhoA and phosphorylated ERK in mouse endometriotic lesions was significantly elevated by oestrogen. We conclude that abnormal activated RhoA/ROCK pathway in endometriosis is responsible for the function of oestrogen/ERα/ERK signalling, which promoted EMT and proliferation and resulted in the development of endometriosis.