Tamoxifen mechanically reprograms the tumor microenvironment via HIF-1A and reduces cancer cell survival
File(s)Cortes et al EMBOR 2018-2.pdf (8.24 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment is fundamental to cancer progression, and the influence of its mechanical properties is increasingly being appreciated. Tamoxifen has been used for many years to treat estrogen-positive breast cancer. Here we report that tamoxifen regulates the level and activity of collagen cross-linking and degradative enzymes, and hence the organization of the extracellular matrix, via a mechanism involving both the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1A). We show that tamoxifen reduces HIF-1A levels by suppressing myosin-dependent contractility and matrix stiffness mechanosensing. Tamoxifen also downregulates hypoxia-regulated genes and increases vascularization in PDAC tissues. Our findings implicate the GPER/HIF-1A axis as a master regulator of peri-tumoral stromal remodeling and the fibrovascular tumor microenvironment and offer a paradigm shift for tamoxifen from a well-established drug in breast cancer hormonal therapy to an alternative candidate for stromal targeting strategies in PDAC and possibly other cancers.
Date Issued
2019-01-01
Date Acceptance
2018-10-23
Citation
EMBO Reports, 2019, 20 (1)
ISSN
1469-221X
Publisher
EMBO Press
Journal / Book Title
EMBO Reports
Volume
20
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30538116
PII: embr.201846557
Grant Number
282051
Subjects
GPER
HIF‐1A
tamoxifen
tumor microenvironment
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
e46557
Date Publish Online
2018-12-11