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TERT mRNA expression is Up-regulated in MCF-7 cells and a mouse mammary organ culture (MMOC) system by endosulfan treatment

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Endosulfan is one of the organochlorine pesticides, which are well-known endocrine disrupters (EDs), and it acts as an estrogen agonist. Estrogen is a group of hormones that play an important role in mammary gland function and are implicated in mammary carcinogenesis. In the present study, we studied the effects of endosulfan on nodule like alveolar lesion (NLAL) formation in mouse mammary gland development using a mouse mammary gland organ culture (MMOC) system. Although endosulfan-treated mammary glands did not form NLALs, more alveolar buds were formed in this group than in the negative control (vehicle-treated) group. In addition, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA expression levels were increased in endosulfan-treated mammary glands in a dose-dependent manner. Telomerase can be activated by estrogen, therefore, we examined the effects of endosulfan on telomerase activity, and found that the telomerase activity in estrogen receptor-positive MCF-7 cells was up-regulated by endosulfan treatment. Moreover, this activation was accompanied by the upregulation of the TERT mRNA expression. Also, transient expression assays using CAT reporter plasmids containing various fragments of the TERT promoter showed that this imperfect palindromic estrogen-responsive element is almost certainly responsible for the transcriptional activation by endosulfan. These results may help elucidate the endocrine disrupting mechanism of endosulfan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, 110-460, Seoul, Korea

    Kang-Hoon Je, Ki-Nam Kim & Kung-Woo Nam

  2. NIAST, RDA and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, 151-742, Seoul, Korea

    Myung-Haing Cho

  3. College of Pharmacy & Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, 28, Yungun-dong, Jongro-ku, 110-460, Seoul, Korea

    Woongchon Mar

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  1. Kang-Hoon Je
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Correspondence to Woongchon Mar.

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Je, KH., Kim, KN., Nam, KW. et al. TERT mRNA expression is Up-regulated in MCF-7 cells and a mouse mammary organ culture (MMOC) system by endosulfan treatment. Arch Pharm Res 28, 351–357 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02977804

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02977804

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