Mitochondrial Dynamics of Bcl-2 Family Proteins during 17-β-Estradiol-Induced Apoptosis Correlate with the Malignancy of Endometrial Cancer Cells

Abstract

Excessive fat intake leads to an increase in cholesterol. Overexposure to estrogen derived from cholesterol is known to contribute to the malignancy of endometrial adenocarcinomas. However, it is not well understood the relationship between the exposure to estrogen and the malignancy of endometrial adenocarcinomas. We investigated how estrogen affected the malignancy of endometrial cancer cells, specifically HEC1 cells (a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma) and HEC50B cells (a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma). Cell viability was decreased by exogenous 17-β-estradiol (E 2 ) in a concentration-dependent manner. E 2 disturbed the mitochondrial membrane potentials by changing the localization of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family protein; however, there were significant differences in the localization of Bcl-2 family proteins between HEC1 and HEC50B cells. In HEC1 cells, E 2 increased the expression of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-X L ) and the Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-2associated death promoter (Bad) expression on the outer mitochondrial membrane. Conversely, E 2 increased the expression of Bad and Bax, and it decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-X L expressions on the outer mitochondrial membrane in HEC50B cells. The disturbance of the mitochondrial membrane potential led to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosolic space followed by activating caspase-9. After that, caspase-3 was activated and induced apoptosis. These results suggested that the localization of the Bcl-2 family protein observed under E 2 -induced apoptosis is related to the malignancy of endometrial cancer cells. We hope that the dynamics of Bcl-2 family proteins such as Bcl-X L and Bad will be used to diagnose malignant endometrial adenocarcinomas.