Sphingosine kinase transmits estrogen signaling in human breast cancer cells.

Current understanding of cytoplasmic signaling pathways that mediate estrogen action in human breast cancer is incomplete. Here we report that treatment with 17beta-estradiol (E2) activates a novel signaling pathway via activation of sphingosine kinase (SphK) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We found that E2 has dual actions to stimulate SphK activity, i.e. a rapid and transient activation mediated by putative membrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptors (ER) and a delayed but prolonged activation relying on the transcriptional activity of ER. The E2-induced SphK activity consequently activates downstream signal cascades including intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and Erk1/2 activation. Enforced expression of human SphK type 1 gene in MCF-7 cells resulted in increases in SphK activity and cell growth. Moreover, the E2-dependent mitogenesis were highly promoted by SphK overexpression as determined by colony growth in soft agar and solid focus formation. In contrast, expression of SphKG82D, a dominant-negative mutant SphK, profoundly inhibited the E2-mediated Ca2+ mobilization, Erk1/2 activity and neoplastic cell growth. Thus, our data suggest that SphK activation is an important cytoplasmic signaling to transduce estrogen-dependent mitogenic and carcinogenic action in human breast cancer cells.