Interplay of estrogen receptors and FOXA factors in the liver cancer

Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2015 Dec 15;418 Pt 3(0 3):334-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.01.043. Epub 2015 Feb 4.

Abstract

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in human with male dominance. Sexual dimorphism of liver cancer is conserved from rodents to humans, which was firstly found in mice in late 1930s and female mice were resistant to liver cancer. Sex hormones were found to affect the incidence of liver cancer in rodents. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-mediated estrogen signaling or androgen receptor-mediated androgen signaling prevents or promotes the growth of rodent liver tumors, respectively. Forkhead box protein A (Foxa) factors, Foxa1 and Foxa2, also known as pioneer transcription factors in liver specification, are essential for both estrogen and androgen signaling by acting as central regulators of sexual dimorphism in liver cancer. This review mainly focuses on the interplay between ERα and FOXA factors in liver cancer, and summarizes recent breakthrough studies in elucidating the mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in liver cancer.

Keywords: Estrogen receptor (ER); FOXA1; FOXA2; Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Liver cancer; Sexual dimorphism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha / metabolism*
  • Estrogens / metabolism
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha / metabolism*
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-beta / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Androgen / metabolism
  • Sex Characteristics
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • ESR1 protein, human
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha
  • Estrogens
  • FOXA1 protein, human
  • FOXA2 protein, human
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha
  • Receptors, Androgen
  • Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-beta