Stromal cell-derived factor 1α stimulates human endometrial carcinoma cell growth through the activation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt

Objective.The aim of study was to investigate the proliferative effects of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) on endometrial carcinomas cell lines with different estrogen receptors (ER) and PTEN protein profiles.Methods.MTT assays was used to detect the proliferation of HEC-1A and Ishikawa cells, and Western blotted analysis was used to detect activation of Akt and ERK1/2 in both cell lines after exposure to various concentrations of SDF-1α, MAPK-specific inhibitor PD98059 or PI3K-specific inhibitor LY294002.Results.Low concentrations of SDF-1α (≤50 ng/ml) significantly promoted proliferation of Ishikawa cells but not of HEC-1A, while high concentrations of SDF-1α (>50 ng/ml) induced proliferation in both cell lines. ERK1/2 was significantly activated for more than 2 h by SDF-1α at 20 ng/ml in HEC-1A cells, but not in Ishikawa cells. In contrast, Akt was significantly activated for over 2 h in Ishikawa cells but remained unchanged in HEC-1A cells. High concentrations of SDF-1α activated Akt and ERK1/2 pathways in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, which was primarily inhibited by LY294002 for pAkt and by PD98059 for pERK 1/2.Conclusions.SDF-1α could stimulate the cell proliferation of endometrial carcinoma with different expression status of ER and PTEN in vitro, likely through the activation of both Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.