Estrogen Receptor 1 Inhibition of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Contributes to Sex Differences in Hepatocarcinogenesis

Background: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a sexually dimorphic cancer, with female sex being independently protective against HCC incidence and progression. The aim of our study was to understand the mechanism of estrogen receptor signaling in driving sex differences in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Methods: We integrated 1,268 HCC patient sample profiles from publicly available gene expression data to identify the most differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We mapped DEGs into a physical protein interaction network and performed network topology analysis to identify the most important proteins. Experimental validation was performed in vitro on HCC cell lines, in and in vivo, using HCC mouse model.

Results: We showed that the most central protein, ESR1, is HCC prognostic, as increased ESR1 expression was protective for overall survival, with HR=0.45 (95%CI 0.32-0.64, p=4.4E-06), and was more pronounced in women. Transfection of HCC cell lines with ESR1 and exposure to estradiol affected expression of genes involved in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. ER-α (protein product of ESR1) agonist treatment in a mouse model of HCC resulted in significantly longer survival and decreased tumor burden (p<0.0001), with inhibition of Wnt/β-Catenin signaling. In vitro experiments confirmed colocalization of β-catenin with ER-α, leading to inhibition of β-catenin-mediated transcription of target genes c-Myc and Cyclin D1.

Conclusion: Combined, the centrality of ESR1 and its inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling axis provide a biological rationale for protection against HCC incidence and progression in women.