Integrated Bioinformatics, Environmental Epidemiologic and Genomic Approaches to Identify Environmental and Molecular Links between Endometriosis and Breast Cancer

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Deodutta Roy⁴  Marisa Morgan⁴  Changwon Yoo³  Alok Deoraj⁴  Sandhya Roy²  Vijay Kumar Yadav¹  Mohannad Garoub⁴  Hamza Assaggaf⁴  Mayur Doke⁴ 

[1] Department of Physics, GKPD College, Karpoorigram, Samastipur 848129, India; E-Mail:;BMSNF Inc., Aventura, FL 33180, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Biostatistics, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; E-Mails:

关键词: bioinformatics;    breast cancer;    bisphenol A;    endocrine disruptors;    endometriosis;    genomics;    PCBs;    phthalates;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms161025285

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

We present a combined environmental epidemiologic, genomic, and bioinformatics approach to identify: exposure of environmental chemicals with estrogenic activity; epidemiologic association between endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) and health effects, such as, breast cancer or endometriosis; and gene-EDC interactions and disease associations. Human exposure measurement and modeling confirmed estrogenic activity of three selected class of environmental chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), bisphenols (BPs), and phthalates. Meta-analysis showed that PCBs exposure, not Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, increased the summary odds ratio for breast cancer and endometriosis. Bioinformatics analysis of gene-EDC interactions and disease associations identified several hundred genes that were altered by exposure to PCBs, phthalate or BPA. EDCs-modified genes in breast neoplasms and endometriosis are part of steroid hormone signaling and inflammation pathways. All three EDCs–PCB 153, phthalates, and BPA influenced five common genes—CYP19A1, EGFR, ESR2, FOS, and IGF1—in breast cancer as well as in endometriosis. These genes are environmentally and estrogen responsive, altered in human breast and uterine tumors and endometriosis lesions, and part of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in cancer. Our findings suggest that breast cancer and endometriosis share some common environmental and molecular risk factors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.