Widespread microRNA (miRNA) repression is a phenomenon observed in mammals after exposure to cigarette smoke and in many types of cancer. A comprehensive reduction in miRNA expression after treatment with the hormone estrogen has also previously been described. Here, we reveal a conserved association of miRNA downregulation after estrogen exposure in zebrafish, mouse, and human breast cancer cell line, with a high guanine content in the terminal loop sequences of their precursors, and offer a possible link between estrogen-related miRNA-adducts formation and carcinogenesis. We also show common gene expression patterns shared by breast cancer tumors and estrogen-treated zebrafish, suggesting that this organism can be used as a powerful model system for the study of human breast cancer.
Keywords: DNA adducts; Guanine; Terminal loop; cancer; cigarette smoke; estrogen; microRNA; xenoestrogens.