Our findings suggest that genetic variability in members of the GST gene family may be associated with an increased susceptibility to breast cancer.
The objective of this work is to review data from epidemiological and preclinical studies addressing the potential benefits of diets based on flavonoids for cancer prevention. Flavonoids are subdivided into subclasses including flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, and isoflavones. Epidemiological studies suggest dietary intake of flavonoids may reduce the risk of tumors of the breast, colon, lung, prostate, and pancreas. However, some studies have reported inconclusive or even harmful associations. A major challenge in the interpretation of epidemiological studies is that most of the data originate from case-control studies and retrospective acquisition of flavonoid intake. Differences in agricultural, sociodemographics, and lifestyle factors contribute to the heterogeneity in the intake of flavonoids among populations residing in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Dose and timing of exposure may influence the anticancer response to flavonoid-rich diets. A limited number of intervention trials of flavonoids have documented cancer preventative effects. Proposed anticancer mechanisms for flavonoids are inhibition of proliferation, inflammation, invasion, metastasis, and activation of apoptosis. Prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to develop biomarkers of flavonoid intake and effect. Mechanistic studies are needed to ascertain how flavonoid-rich diets influence gene regulation for cancer prevention.
A large body of research data suggests that traditional dietary habits and lifestyle unique to the Mediterranean region (Mediterranean diet, MD) lower the incidence of chronic diseases and improve longevity. These data contrast with troubling statistics in the United States and other high income countries pointing to an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases and the projected explosion in cost of medical care associated with an aging population. In 2013, the MD was inscribed by UNESCO in the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans included the MD as a healthy dietary pattern. Therefore, specific objectives of this article are to provide an overview of the nutritional basis of this healthful diet, its metabolic benefits, and its role in multiple aspects of disease prevention and healthy aging. Whereas recommendations about the MD often focus on specific foods or bioactive compounds, we suggest that the eating pattern as a whole likely contributes to the health promoting effects of the MD.
The BRCA-1 protein is a tumor suppressor involved in repair of DNA damage. Epigenetic mechanisms contribute to its reduced expression in sporadic breast tumors. Through diet, humans are exposed to a complex mixture of xenobiotics and natural ligands of the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which contributes to the etiology of various types of cancers. The AhR binds xenobiotics, endogenous ligands, and many natural dietary bioactive compounds, including the phytoalexin resveratrol (Res). In estrogen receptor- alpha (ER alpha )-positive and BRCA-1 wild-type MCF-7 breast cancer cells, we investigated the influence of AhR activation with the agonist 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorobenzo(p)dioxin (TCDD) on epigenetic regulation of the BRCA-1 gene and the preventative effects of Res. We report that activation and recruitment of the AhR to the BRCA-1 promoter hampers 17 beta -estradiol (E2)-dependent stimulation of BRCA-1 transcription and protein levels. These inhibitory effects are paralleled by reduced occupancy of ER alpha , acetylated histone (AcH)-4, and AcH3K9. Conversely, the treatment with TCDD increases the association of mono-methylated-H3K9, DNA-methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1), and methyl-binding domain protein-2 with the BRCA-1 promoter and stimulates the accumulation of DNA strand breaks. The AhR-dependent repression of BRCA-1 expression is reversed by small interference for the AhR and DNMT1 or pretreatment with Res, which reduces TCDD-induced DNA strand breaks. These results support the hypothesis that epigenetic silencing of the BRCA-1 gene by the AhR is preventable with Res and provide the molecular basis for the development of dietary strategies based on natural AhR antagonists.
In sporadic breast cancers, BRCA-1 expression is downregulated in the absence of mutations in the BRCA-1 gene. This suggests that disruption of BRCA-1 expression may contribute to the onset of mammary tumors. Environmental contaminants found in industrial pollution, tobacco smoke, and cooked foods include benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which have been shown to act as endocrine disruptors and tumor promoters. In previous studies, we documented that estrogen (E2) induced BRCA-1 transcription through the recruitment of an activator protein-1/estrogen receptor-A (ERA) complex to the proximal BRCA-1 promoter. Here, we report that activation of BRCA-1 transcription by E2 requires occupancy of the BRCA-1 promoter by the unliganded aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The stimulatory effects of E2 on BRCA-1 transcription are counteracted by (a) cotreatment with the AhR antagonist 3V -methoxy-4V -nitroflavone; (b) transient expression in ERAnegative HeLa cells of ERA lacking the protein-binding domain for the AhR; and (c) mutation of two consensus xenobiotic-responsive elements (XRE, 5V -GCGTG-3V ) located upstream of the ERA-binding region. These results suggest that the physical interaction between the unliganded AhR and the liganded ERA plays a positive role in E2-dependent activation of BRCA-1 transcription. Conversely, we show that the AhR ligands B(a)P and TCDD abrogate E2-induced BRCA-1 promoter activity. The repressive effects of TCDD are paralleled by increased recruitment of the liganded AhR and HDAC1, reduced occupancy by p300, SRC-1, and diminished acetylation of H4 at the BRCA-1 promoter region flanking the XREs. We propose that the ligand status of the AhR modulates activation of the BRCA-1 promoter by estrogen. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(4): 2224-32)
Studies with murine models suggest that maternal exposure to aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists may impair mammary gland differentiation and increase the susceptibility to mammary carcinogenesis in offspring. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these perturbations remain largely unknown. Previously, we reported that the AhR agonists 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induced CpG methylation of the breast cancer-1 (BRCA-1) gene and reduced BRCA-1 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Based on the information both the human and rat BRCA-1 genes harbor xenobiotic responsive elements (XRE = 5'-GCGTG-3'), which are binding targets for the AhR, we extended our studies to the analysis of offspring of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats treated during gestation with TCDD alone or in combination with the dietary AhR antagonist resveratrol (Res). We report that the in utero exposure to TCDD increased the number of terminal end buds (TEB) and reduced BRCA-1 expression in mammary tissue of offspring. The treatment with TCDD induced occupancy of the BRCA-1 promoter by DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT-1), CpG methylation of the BRCA-1 promoter, and expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase-4 (CDK4). These changes were partially overridden by pre-exposure to Res, which stimulated the expression of the AhR repressor (AhRR) and its recruitment to the BRCA-1 gene. These findings point to maternal exposure to AhR agonists as a risk factor for breast cancer in offspring through epigenetic inhibition of BRCA-1 expression, whereas dietary antagonists of the AhR may exert protective effects.
Ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) include the environmental xenobiotic 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo(p)dioxin (TCDD), polycyclic aryl hydrocarbons, and the dietary compounds 3, 3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), a condensation product of indol-3-carbinol found in Brassica vegetables, and the phytoalexin resveratrol (RES). The AhR and its cofactors regulate the expression of target genes at pentameric (GCGTG) xenobiotic responsive elements (XRE). Because the activation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression by AhR ligands may contribute to inflammation and tumorigenesis, we investigated the epigenetic regulation of the COX-2 gene by TCDD and the reversal effects of DIM in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Results of DNA binding and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies documented that the treatment with TCDD induced the association of the AhR to XRE harbored in the COX-2 promoter and control CYP1A1 promoter oligonucleotides. The TCDD-induced binding of the AhR was reduced by small-interfering RNA for the AhR or the cotreatment with synthetic (3-methoxy-4-naphthoflavone) or dietary AhR antagonists (DIM, RES). In time course ChIP studies, TCDD induced the rapid (15 min) occupancy by the AhR, the histone acetyl transferase p300, and acetylated histone H4 (AcH4) at the COX-2 promoter. Conversely, the cotreatment of MCF-7 cells with DIM (10 micromol/L) abrogated the TCDD-induced recruitment of the AhR and AcH4 to the COX-2 promoter and the induction of COX-2 mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, these data suggest that naturally occurring modulators of the AhR such as DIM may be effective agents for dietary strategies against epigenetic activation of COX-2 expression by AhR agonists.
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