Bisphenol A induces a rapid activation of Erk1/2 through GPR30 in human breast cancer cells

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been considered as an endocrine disruptor due to its ability to interact with estrogen receptors (ERs). While G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) is a novel estrogen receptor, its role in BPA-induced activation of Erk1/2 remains unknown. Human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3, were used as experimental models to discriminate between ERs-dependent, putative ERs-independent and/or GPR30-associated effects. BPA induced a rapid activation of Erk1/2 in both ERα/β-positive and negative breast cancer cells, and this effect was not blocked with an ER antagonist, ICI 182,780. A small interfering RNA assay revealed that the expression of GPR30 was necessary for BPA-induced activation of Erk1/2 and transcriptional regulation of c-fos. In addition, BPA regulates the expression of c-fos likely through an AP1-mediated pathway. As a conclusion, GPR30 plays an important role in the BPA-induced activation of Erk1/2 in a manner distinguishable from that in ERα-mediated signaling. We showed here that the mechanism by which BPA induces the activation of Erk1/2 is distinguishable from the mechanism of ERα-mediated signaling in human breast cancer cells.