Estrogen and BRCA1 deficiency synergistically induce breast cancer mutation-related DNA damage

• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.04.142
• Publication Date: 2022-05-02T14:42:17Z
• Authors: Jiahao Chen; Jingxin Liu; Pengguihang Zeng; Cai Zhao; Xinyi Liu; Jun Sun; Jia Wang; Peihang Fang; Wenjie Chen; Junjun Ding
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; BRCA1 Protein; Mutation; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Estrogens; Female; Breast; DNA Damage; 3. Good health

Estrogen (E2) is crucial for the development of breast cancer caused by BRCA1 mutation, and can increase the DNA damage in BRCA1-deficient cells. However, the mechanisms through which BRCA1 deficiency and E2 synergistically induce DNA damage remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of DNA damage in E2-treated BRCA1-deficient cells. We detected DNA lesions in the vicinity of genes that are transcriptionally activated by estrogen receptor-α (ER). Loss of BRCA1 altered chromatin binding by ER, which significantly affected the distribution of DNA damage. Moreover, these changes were associated with the established mutations in BRCA1-mutant breast cancer. Taken together, our findings reveal a new mechanism underlying the DNA damage in breast cancer cells that is synergistically induced by BRCA1 deficiency and E2.