MCF-7 breast cancer cells transfected with protein kinase C-alpha exhibit altered expression of other protein kinase C isoforms and display a more aggressive neoplastic phenotype

Autor: Cynthia A. Kukoly, Paul P. Cook, Winifred O. Bryant, James E. deVente, Peter J. Parker, D. K. Ways, J. Hooker, Karla J. Posekany, Donald J. Fletcher
Rok vydání: 1995
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Clinical Investigation. 95:1906-1915
ISSN: 0021-9738
DOI: 10.1172/jci117872
Popis: Increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity in malignant breast tissue and positive correlations between PKC activity and expression of a more aggressive phenotype in breast cancer cell lines suggest a role for this signal transduction pathway in the pathogenesis and/or progression of breast cancer. To examine the role of PKC in the progression of breast cancer, human MCF-7 breast cancer cells were transfected with PKC-alpha, and a group of heterogenous cells stably overexpressing PKC-alpha were isolated (MCF-7-PKC-alpha). MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells expressed fivefold higher levels of PKC-alpha as compared to parental or vector-transfected MCF-7 cells. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells also displayed a substantial increase in endogenous expression of PKC-beta and decreases in expression of the novel delta- and eta-PKC isoforms. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells displayed an enhanced proliferative rate, anchorage-independent growth, dramatic morphologic alterations including loss of an epithelioid appearance, and increased tumorigenicity in nude mice. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells exhibited a significant reduction in estrogen receptor expression and decreases in estrogen-dependent gene expression. These findings suggest that the PKC pathway may modulate progression of breast cancer to a more aggressive neoplastic process.
Databáze: OpenAIRE