DECREASED EGR-1 EXPRESSION IN HUMAN, MOUSE AND RAT MAMMARY CELLS AND TISSUES CORRELATES WITH TUMOR-FORMATION

We have examined several types of tumor cell lines and shown that they invariably expressed little or no Egr-1, in contrast to their normal counterparts. We have previously shown that the expression of exogenou s Egr-1 in human breast and other tumor cells markedly reduces transfo rmed growth and tumorigenicity. We therefore hypothesized that the los s of Egr-1 expression plays a role in transformation. All human and mo use breast cancer cell lines and tumors examined had reduced Egr-1 exp ression compared with their normal counterparts. Reduced Egr-1 express ion was also observed in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced rat mammary tumors, and this level increased to normal levels in tumo rs that regressed after tamoxifen treatment. We concluded, therefore, that loss of Egr-1 expression may play a role in the deregulation of n ormal growth in the tumorigenic process and that Egr-1 acts as a tumor suppressor gene. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.