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Title: Bisphenol A at a low concentration boosts mouse spermatogonial cell proliferation by inducing the G protein-coupled receptor 30 expression

Journal Article · · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1]
  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China)
  2. Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100091 (China)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most prevalent chemicals in daily-use materials, therefore, human exposure to BPA is ubiquitous. We found that low concentrations of BPA stimulate the spermatogonial GC-1 cells proliferation by G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30)-mediated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)-c-Fos pathway. However, through the same pathway GPR30 expression has been shown to be induced by EGF, an EGFR ligand. Thus, we want to know if low concentrations of BPA are able to induce the GPR30 expression and the possible mechanism(s) in GC-1 cells. By transient transfection with expression plasmids, 10{sup −9} M BPA significantly transactivates the Gpr30-5′-flanking region through activating the GPR30, cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), estrogen receptor-α (ER-α), and EFGR-ERK pathways. Furthermore, an activator protein-1 (AP-1) site located within this region is found to be responsible for the transactivation of BPA. Expectedly, through the same pathways, BPA significantly induces the gene and protein expression of GPR30. c-Fos is further observed to be strongly recruited to the AP-1 site in a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and its dysfunction on the AP-1 site markedly suppresses the expression of GPR30, p-ERK1/2, p-Ser118-ER-α and cell proliferation by BPA. Our results demonstrate that a low-concentration BPA induces GPR30 expression through the GPR30-EFGR-ERK-c-Fos, ER-α, and PKG pathways, presumably boosting the cells proliferation via a regulatory loop. The present study provides a novel insight into the potential role of GPR30 in the initiation and progression of male germ cell cancer induced by environmentally relevant BPA. - Highlights: ► Low concentrations of BPA activate the PKG and GPR30-EFGR-ERK-ER-α pathways. ► Low concentrations of BPA activate the AP-1 site of Gpr30-5′-flanking region. ► Low concentrations of BPA induce the expression of GPR30 gene and protein. ► Low concentrations of BPA boost GC-1 cells proliferation via a regulatory loop.

OSTI ID:
22285242
Journal Information:
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Vol. 267, Issue 1; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0041-008X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English