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Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Systems Biology of Metabolic Regulation by Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer
Published on: March 17, 2016
Estrogen-Induced Extracellular Calcium Influx Promotes Endometrial Cancer Progress by Regulating Lysosomal Activity
Boqiang Shen1, Juan Hao1, Yanying Lin2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
High serum calcium levels correlate with advanced endometrial cancer (EC) progression. Estrogen-induced calcium influx impacts mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lysosome activity, offering potential therapeutic targets for EC.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Serum calcium (Ca2+) plays a role in oncogenesis and cancer-associated channels.
- The specific role of serum calcium and its interaction with estrogen in endometrial cancer (EC) remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum calcium levels and clinicopathological features in endometrial cancer patients.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of calcium's role in EC progression, particularly concerning estrogen's influence.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 502 EC patients, assessing preoperative serum calcium levels (ionized and albumin-corrected) against postoperative clinicopathological characteristics.
- Investigated estrogen-induced intracellular calcium homeostasis using confocal analysis, transcriptome, and proteomic analyses.
- Examined mitochondrial Ca2+, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lysosomal activity via confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and Western blot.
Main Results:
- Elevated albumin-corrected serum calcium significantly correlated with advanced EC progression, including lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, myometrial, and cervical invasion.
- Estrogen-regulated calcium homeostasis in EC cells involves extracellular calcium influx, impacting autophagy and mitochondrial pathways.
- Calcium influx directly influenced mitochondrial ROS production and lysosomal function.
Conclusions:
- Serum calcium levels are significantly associated with poor prognostic outcomes in endometrial cancer.
- Estrogen-mediated extracellular calcium influx targets mitochondrial ROS and lysosomal activity, suggesting novel therapeutic avenues for EC.
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