| Literature DB >> 16326419 |
Abstract
The phthalates are ubiquitous industrial plasticizers and include agents such as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), which are classified as endocrine disruptors because of their anti-androgenic or pro-estrogenic effects. A recent study suggested that DBP produced the hypomethylation of c-myc protooncogene in mouse liver to activate c-myc. In the present study, DNA hypomethylation at the promoter region of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene was investigated by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in a human breast cancer (MCF7) and in a normal (MCF10A) cell line after DBP treatment. Yeast-based estrogen receptor transcription assays showed that hERalpha gene expression was induced by BBP but not DBP. Moreover, MCF7 cells treated with BBP or DBP at 10(-5)M led to the demethylation of ERalpha promoter-associated CpG islands. These data suggest that an altered ER mRNA expression by BBP might be related to aberrant DNA methylation in the promoter region of ERalpha.Entities:
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Year: 2005 PMID： 16326419 DOI： 10.1080/15287390491008913
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Toxicol Environ Health A ISSN： 0098-4108