Oestrogen receptor ß5 and epidermal growth factor receptor synergistically promote lung cancer progression.

ABSTRACT

Oestrogen receptor beta (ERß) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway can synergistically promote the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. ERß has five subtypes, and the selective splicing of exon 8 in ERß5 transcription translational phase makes its biological function different from other subtypes. The following study investigates whether ERß5 interacts with EGFR pathway in lung cancer. Briefly, we found that the overexpression of ERß5 and EGFR is associated with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival in NSCLC patients. Furthermore, the effects of ERß5 and EGFR on cell biological behaviour were investigated in vitro. These results indicated that the combination of ERß5 and EGF induces cell proliferation and invasion, while the combination of ERß5 and Gefitinib (EGFR inhibitors, Gef) induces cell apoptosis and promotes cell mitosis in A549 cell line. In addition, the combination of ERß5 and EGF increases the expression of ERß5, EGFR, and p-ERK1/2 in lung cancer cells. To sum up, the obtained results suggest that ERß5 and EGFR synergistically promote the progression of lung cancer by activating MEK/ERK signalling pathway, which provides a theoretical basis for more accurate combined targeted therapy.