TY - JOUR
T1 - Aromatase, breast cancer and obesity
T2 - A complex interaction
AU - Bulun, Serdar E.
AU - Chen, Dong
AU - Moy, Irene
AU - Brooks, David C.
AU - Zhao, Hong
N1 - Funding Information:
Our work is supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute (CA67167), the Avon Foundation and the Lynn Sage Foundation.
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - Obesity has been associated with abnormally high expression of the enzyme aromatase in the breast, increased local estrogen production, and predisposition to breast hyperplasia and cancer. Increased adiposity in postmenopausal women may trigger signaling pathways that induce aromatase expression. In breast adipose fibroblasts, increased TNF production may induce the distal aromatase promoter, whereas increased local PGE 2 production may induce the proximal promoter region. We review here the mechanisms that control aromatase gene expression in breast adipose tissue, and the paracrine interactions between malignant breast epithelial cells and the surrounding adipose fibroblasts. Systematic characterization of these signaling pathways will facilitate the identification of potential drug targets to selectively reduce aromatase expression and excessive estrogen production, with therapeutic benefit.
AB - Obesity has been associated with abnormally high expression of the enzyme aromatase in the breast, increased local estrogen production, and predisposition to breast hyperplasia and cancer. Increased adiposity in postmenopausal women may trigger signaling pathways that induce aromatase expression. In breast adipose fibroblasts, increased TNF production may induce the distal aromatase promoter, whereas increased local PGE 2 production may induce the proximal promoter region. We review here the mechanisms that control aromatase gene expression in breast adipose tissue, and the paracrine interactions between malignant breast epithelial cells and the surrounding adipose fibroblasts. Systematic characterization of these signaling pathways will facilitate the identification of potential drug targets to selectively reduce aromatase expression and excessive estrogen production, with therapeutic benefit.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84856450751&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.tem.2011.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.tem.2011.10.003
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22169755
AN - SCOPUS:84856450751
SN - 1043-2760
VL - 23
SP - 83
EP - 89
JO - Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 2
ER -
