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Adenovirus-Mediated Delivery of a Dominant-Negative Estrogen Receptor Gene in Uterine Leiomyoma Cells Abrogates Estrogen- and Progesterone-Regulated Gene Expression

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (M.H.H., S.A.S., A.A.-H.), University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555; and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology (M.H.H., S.A.S., H.M.M.A., F.M.A.H.), Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, 11371 Cairo, Egypt

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555-0587. E-mail: ayalhend{at}utmb.edu.

Context: Human uterine leiomyomas are very common smooth muscle cell tumors that occur in reproductive-age women and are the leading reason for performing hysterectomies. The present study was conducted to explore the potential mechanism behind the effects exerted by dominant-negative estrogen receptors (DNERs) delivered by adenovirus to leiomyoma cells to ascertain the utility of DNERs as a novel strategy for treatment of uterine fibroids.

Objective and Methods: We investigated the ability of DNER to affect estrogen response element (ERE) activity induced by wild-type estrogen receptor (ER) by using the adenovirus ERE luciferase (Ad-ERE-luc) system in ELT3 cells and the effect of graded doses of DNER (10, 50, and 100 plaque-forming units/cell) on the expression of some selected genes controlling cultured human leiomyoma cell proliferation (cyclin D1, Cox2, PCNA, VEGF, and EGF), apoptosis (Bcl2 and Bax), estrogen metabolism (COMT), and extracellular matrix formation (MMP₁) as well as progesterone receptors (A and B) were assessed using Western blot analysis. These genes are all regulated by estrogen and/or progesterone.

Results: DNER has the ability to suppress the ERE luc activity induced by wild-type ER (P < 0.01) and significantly (P < 0.05) reverse the expression of all estrogen- and progesterone-regulated genes in this study.

Conclusions: These results suggest that interruption of the estrogen signaling pathway using DNER results in modulation of both estrogen- and progesterone-regulated genes that control leiomyoma cell apoptosis, proliferation, extracellular matrix formation, progesterone receptors, and estrogen metabolism, which might account for the DNER mechanism of action.