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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Profiling of Estrogen-regulated MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells
Published on: February 21, 2014
Gene expression profiling and pathway analysis data in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines treated
Pranapda Aumsuwan1, Shabana I Khan2, Ikhlas A Khan2
1National Center for Natural Product Research, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA; Division of Pharmacology, Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA.
Abstract:
Microarray technology (Human OneArray microarray, phylanxbiotech.com) was used to compare gene expression profiles of non-invasive MCF-7 and invasive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to dioscin (DS), a steroidal saponin isolated from the roots of wild yam, (Dioscorea villosa). Initially the differential expression of genes (DEG) was identified which was followed by pathway enrichment analysis (PEA). Of the genes queried on OneArray, we identified 4641 DEG changed between MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells (vehicle-treated) with cut-off log2 |fold change|≧1. Among these genes, 2439 genes were upregulated and 2002 were downregulated. DS exposure (2.30 μM, 72 h) to these cells identified 801 (MCF-7) and 96 (MDA-MB-231) DEG that showed significant difference when compared with the untreated cells (p<0.05). Within these gene sets, DS was able to upregulate 395 genes and downregulate 406 genes in MCF-7 and upregulate 36 and downregulate 60 genes in MDA-MB-231 cells. Further comparison of DEG between MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to DS identified 3626 DEG of which 1700 were upregulated and 1926 were down-regulated. Regarding to PEA, 12 canonical pathways were significantly altered between these two cell lines. However, there was no alteration in any of these pathways in MCF-7 cells, while in MDA-MB-231 cells only MAPK pathway showed significant alteration. When PEA comparison was made on DS exposed cells, it was observed that only 2 pathways were significantly affected. Further, we identified the shared DEG, which were targeted by DS and overlapped in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, by intersection analysis (Venn diagram). We found that 7 DEG were overlapped of which six are reported in the database. This data highlight the diverse gene networks and pathways in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines treated with dioscin.
Insights
Dioscin (DS) alters gene expression in breast cancer cells. This study identified differentially expressed genes (DEG) and affected pathways in non-invasive MCF-7 and invasive MDA-MB-231 cells treated with DS, revealing distinct cellular responses.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (non-invasive) and MDA-MB-231 (invasive) exhibit distinct gene expression profiles.
- Dioscin (DS), a steroidal saponin from wild yam, is investigated for its effects on gene expression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare gene expression profiles of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells treated with dioscin.
- To identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) and affected pathways in response to dioscin exposure.
Main Methods:
- Microarray analysis using Human OneArray was performed on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.
- Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analysis (PEA) were conducted.
- Intersection analysis (Venn diagram) identified shared DEG between cell lines.
Main Results:
- 4641 DEG were identified between untreated MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.
- Dioscin treatment resulted in 801 DEG in MCF-7 and 96 DEG in MDA-MB-231 cells.
- Pathway analysis revealed significant alterations, with the MAPK pathway notably affected in MDA-MB-231 cells.
Conclusions:
- Dioscin induces distinct gene expression changes in non-invasive and invasive breast cancer cells.
- The study highlights diverse gene networks and pathways influenced by dioscin in these cell lines.
- Seven overlapping differentially expressed genes were identified between the two cell lines upon dioscin treatment.
