Effect of energy restriction on cell cycle machinery in 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea-induced mammary carcinomas in rats.

Energy restriction (ER) results in a profound inhibition of chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis. The cancer inhibitory activity of ER has been shown to be associated with lower rates of cell proliferation during both premalignant and malignant stages of this disease process. Moreover, inhibition of carcinogenesis and suppression of cell proliferation occur in animals in which plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I are reduced, and plasma corticosterone levels are increased concomitantly. Given the role of both hormones in signal transduction pathways that can modulate cell cycle progression, albeit via different regulatory mechanisms, we report experiments conducted to determine whether hypothesized effects of changes in plasma levels of IGF-I and corticosterone on cell cycle regulation could be detected in mammary carcinomas occurring in 40% ER rats in comparison to ad libitum fed control rats or 40% ER rats that were energy repleted for 7 days (ER-REP). As determined by appropriate combinations of immunoprecipitations, Western blots, and kinase activity assays, it was found that levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma and E2F-1 were significantly reduced by ER (approximately 40 and 75%, respectively; P < 0.01), an effect that was partially reversed by ER-REP. Reductions in cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)2 (82%) and CDK4 (77%) kinase activity in ER carcinomas were likely to account for the observed effects on retinoblastoma and E2F-1. Both Cip1/p21 and Kip1/p27 and levels of these proteins complexed with CDK2 were significantly elevated in ER carcinomas (P < 0.01), and levels of cyclin E were reduced. On the other hand, regulation of CDK4 kinase activity by ER was likely attributable to effects on cyclin D1 as well as increased binding of P16 and P19 to CDK4. The majority of changes induced by ER were reversed by ER-REP. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that ER exerts its profound cancer inhibitory activity, in part, by multifaceted regulation of cell cycle machinery, possibly via concomitant changes in corticosterone and IGF-1 metabolism, although the role of other hormones and growth factors should not be dismissed.