Cited by 86Estrogen and related hormone effectsOvarian cancer diagnosis and treatmentOvarian function and disorders

Expression of Membrane Progesterone Receptors (mPR/PAQR) in Ovarian Cancer Cells: Implications for Progesterone-Induced Signaling Events

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Charles, Nathan J., Thomas, Peter, Lange, Carol A.·2010·Hormones and Cancer

Abstract

The high mortality rates associated with ovarian cancer are largely due to a lack of highly effective treatment options for advanced stage disease; a time when initial diagnosis most commonly occurs. Recent evidence suggests that the steroid hormone, progesterone, may possess anti-tumorigenic properties. With the discovery of a new class of membrane-bound progesterone receptors (mPRs) belonging to the progestin and adipoQ receptor (PAQR) gene family in the ovary, there are undefined mechanisms by which progesterone may inhibit tumor progression. Therefore, our goal was to define potential mPR-dependent signaling mechanisms operative in ovarian cancer cells. We detected abundant mPRα (PAQR7), mPRβ (PAQR8), and mPRγ (PAQR5), but not classical nuclear PR (A or B isoforms) mRNA expression and mPRα protein expression in a panel of commonly used ovarian cancer cell lines. In contrast to mPR action in breast cancer cells, progesterone alone failed to induce changes in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in ovarian cancer cells. However, progesterone enhanced cAMP production by β(1,2)-adrenergic receptors and increased isoproterenol-induced transcription from a cAMP response element (CRE)-driven reporter gene. Independently of β-adrenergic signaling, we additionally observed activation of both JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK in response to progesterone alone. This finding was supported by the results of a screen for potential mPR gene targets. Progesterone induced a significant increase in transcription of the pro-apoptotic marker BAX, whose activity and expression has been linked to JNK1/2 and p38 signaling. Inhibitors of JNK, but not p38, blocked progesterone-induced BAX expression. Taken together, these observations implicate at least two distinct signaling pathways that may be utilized by mPRs in ovarian cancer cells that exhibit regulatory genomic changes. These studies on mPR signaling in ovarian cancer lay the foundation for future work aimed at understanding how progesterone exerts its anti-tumorigenic effects in the ovary and suggest that pharmacologic activation of mPRs, abundantly expressed in ovarian cancers, may provide a new treatment option for patients with advanced stage disease.

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  • Most of progesterone's behavioral effects may result from its conversion to allopregnanolone rather than from classical nuclear progesterone receptor signaling.

    “While P4 may exert behavioral effects through the classical nuclear P4 receptor (PR) mechanism64, most of P4’s effect may correspond to P4 conversion to ALLO63.”

    From Emerging insights into hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal axis regulation and interaction with stress signalling (2018) · cites this paper as [64]

    The Results and Discussion (page unavailable) examine progesterone signaling through membrane receptors in ovarian cancer cells, not behavioral effects. Searches for allopregnanolone, progesterone conversion, and behavioral effects found no passage addressing whether conversion accounts for most of progesterone’s behavioral effects. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Charles, N. J., Thomas, P., & Lange, C. A.
Affiliations
  • Masonic Cancer Center (US)
  • University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Lange, Carol A.
Venue
Hormones and Cancer
Published
2010-08
Volume
1
Issue
4
Pages
167-176
ISSN
  • 1868-8497 (ISSN-L)
  • 1868-8500
OpenAlex
W1988676996
Cited by
86
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 7
FWCI
2.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Hormones and Cancer (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of South Florida
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA123763)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
Keywords
membrane progesterone receptor, ovarian cancer, progesterone signaling, JNK1/2, p38 MAPK, apoptosis, cAMP response element, beta-adrenergic receptors, isoproterenol, JNK inhibitor
MeSH terms
Cyclic AMP, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Female, Humans, Membrane Proteins, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Ovarian Neoplasms, Phosphorylation, Progestins, Progesterone, Receptors, Progesterone, Time Factors, Blotting, Western, Signal Transduction, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Cell Line, Tumor, JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, bcl-2-Associated X Protein

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