Erythropoietin and erythropoietin receptor expression in human cancer

• Published in: Cancer research (Baltimore) Vol. 61; no. 9; pp. 3561 - 3565
• Main Authors: ACS, Geza, ACS, Peter, BECKWITH, Susan M, PITTS, Richard L, CLEMENTS, Emily, KONDI WONG, VERMA, Ajay
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 01-05-2001
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Blotting, Western; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Erythropoietin - biosynthesis; Erythropoietin - genetics; Gene Expression; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Receptors, Erythropoietin - biosynthesis; Receptors, Erythropoietin - genetics; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumors; Erythropoiesis; Human; Hormone; Cell proliferation; Carcinoma; Erythropoietin; Gene product; Tumoral tissue; Malignant tumor; Gene expression; In vitro; Mammary gland diseases; Cell death; Established cell line; Hypoxia; Mammary gland; Tumor promotion; Tumor cell; Apoptosis; Hormonal receptor
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445

Erythropoietin (EPO) stimulates the growth of erythroblasts in the bone marrow (C. Lacombe and P. Mayeux, NEPHROL: DIAL: TRANSPLANT:, 14 (SUPPL: 2): 22-28, 1999). We report basal and hypoxia-stimulated expression of EPO and its receptor, EPOR, in human breast cancer cells, and we demonstrate EPO-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation and the proliferation of these cells in vitro. In 50 clinical specimens of breast carcinoma, we report high levels of EPO and EPOR associated with malignant cells and tumor vasculature but not with normal breast, benign papilloma, or fibrocystic tissue. Hypoxic tumor regions display the highest levels of EPO and EPOR expression. Enhanced EPO signaling may contribute to the promotion of human cancer by tissue hypoxia.