Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center,The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Apr;22(4):145-52. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2011.01.005. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
The uterine endometrium is exquisitely sensitive to steroid hormones that act through well-described nuclear receptors. Estrogen drives epithelial proliferation, and progesterone inhibits growth and causes cell differentiation. The importance of progesterone as a key inhibitor of carcinogenesis is reflected by the observation that women who ovulate and produce progesterone almost never get endometrial cancer. In this review we describe seminal research findings that define progesterone as the major endometrial tumor suppressor. We discuss the genes and diverse signaling pathways that are controlled by progesterone through progesterone receptors (PRs) and also the multiple factors that regulate progesterone/PR activity. By defining these progesterone-regulated factors and pathways we identify the principal therapeutic opportunities to control the growth of endometrial cancer.
子宫内膜对甾体激素极为敏感，甾体激素通过明确的核受体发挥作用。雌激素促进上皮细胞增殖，孕激素抑制生长并促使细胞分化。孕激素作为致癌作用关键抑制剂的重要性反映在这样一个观察结果中：排卵并产生孕激素的女性几乎不会得子宫内膜癌。在这篇综述中，我们描述了定义孕激素为主要子宫内膜肿瘤抑制物的开创性研究结果。我们讨论了受孕激素受体（PR）调控的基因和多种信号通路，以及调控孕激素/PR 活性的多种因素。通过定义这些孕激素调控的因子和通路，我们确定了控制子宫内膜癌生长的主要治疗机会。
