Estrogen induces epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and its ligands in human fallopian tube: involvement of EGF but not transforming growth factor-alpha in estrogen-induced tubal cell growth in vitro.

We studied the estrogen-dependent expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor (TGF) alpha, and EGF receptor gene transcripts in human fallopian tubes in vivo and in vitro. Competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on the fallopian tube RNA samples from the postmenopausal women with or without estrogen replacement. Amounts of EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF receptors gene transcripts in the estrogen-treated group (n = 3) were significantly (P < 0.01) more than those in the untreated group (n = 3). Competitive PCR also showed that EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF receptor gene transcripts level in tubal cells were increased by estrogen in vitro: messenger RNA levels of these factors were significantly (P < 0.01, n = 3) increased in cells incubated with 10(-8) M estrogen compared with those in cells without estrogen treatment. We studied whether EGF and/or TGF alpha is involved in the estrogen-induced tubal cell growth in vitro. Estrogen enhanced the [3H]-thymidine incorporation into the cell in dose- and time-dependent manners in culture: estrogen treatment for more than 12 h significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the [3H]-thymidine incorporation into the cell at 10(-8) M. The estrogen-induced cell growth was observed in association with the increase in EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF receptor messenger RNA levels by estrogen. If the EGF and/or TGF alpha is involved in the cell growth, then the estrogen-induced cell growth should be suppressed by blocking the action of EGF and/or TGF alpha. Therefore, we examined the effects of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF receptors. Anti-EGF antibody significantly reduced the estrogen-induced increase in [3H]-thymidine incorporation, whereas anti-TGF alpha antibody failed to show the effect. Anti-EGF receptor antibody showed a significant suppressive effect on the estrogen-induced increase in [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Moreover, the growth inhibitory effect by 1 microgram/ml anti-EGF was restored by 10(-8) M EGF but not by TGF alpha even at 10(-6) M. All these data suggest that estrogen induces EGF and TGF alpha/EGF receptors in the human fallopian tube and that EGF but not TGF alpha may be involved in the estrogen-induced human tubal cell growth in vitro.