Genistein induced apoptotic cell death in adult T-cell leukemia cells through estrogen receptors.

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) occurs in human T-lymphotropic virus type I-infected individuals and is endemic to the southwestern area of Kyushu in Japan. Here, we found that nM levels of genistein and 17β-estradiol had cytotoxic effects on ATL cells and activated caspase-3. The estrogen receptor antagonist ICI182780 negated the cytotoxic effect of genistein. In addition, G protein-coupled estrogen receptor agonist G-1 also had a cytotoxic effect on ATL cells. This is the first report suggesting that estrogen receptors are a molecular target for ATL therapy.