Regulation of the Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein Gene by Estrogen
Abstract
An observation was made that the mRNAs for two clones, #41 and #44, were rapidly repressed by estrogen in chick oviduct. Clone #44 shared sequence homology with members of the multidrug resistance-associated protein (mrp) gene family. This raised the question of whether the multidrug resistance (mdr) phenotype in breast cancer may be in part due to the loss of repression of MRP expression by estrogen when antiestrogens are administered. The goals of this last year where to complete the identification of clone #41, to ascertain whether human mrp gene expression is repressed by estrogen, and to determine whether estrogen is acting at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels. All but the first of these goals has been met, and a manuscript describing the work in chick is in review. These results have considerable significance in light of two recent reports that indicate that MRP mRNA is highly expressed in primary breast cancers, particularly those with poor prognosis. Our observations raise the possibility that one or more of the selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) may be useful in treating those resistant cancers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA381694
Entities
People
- Michel Sanders
Organizations
- University of Minnesota