Oestrogen directly stimulates growth factor signal transduction pathways in human breast cancer cells.

We have studied the mechanism by which 17 beta-oestradiol (E2) stimulates breast cancer proliferation using the MCF7 cell line as a model system. We provide evidence that E2 directly stimulates cellular proliferation by inducing, like many growth factors, the c-fos proto-oncogene. E2 by itself, however, is poorly mitogenic and it does not induce genes from the jun family, whose gene products are necessary for heterodimerization with the c-fos encoded protein (Fos), leading to an important step in growth factor signalling pathways, stimulation of the 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate responsive element (TRE)-dependent transcriptional activity. In combination with insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), efficient inducers of c-jun in breast cancer cells, E2 synergistically stimulates TRE-activity and proliferation. This direct stimulation by E2 of growth factor signalling pathways suggest that E2 can directly induce proliferation, independent from autocrine growth factors.