AIB1 is required for the acquisition of epithelial growth factor receptor-mediated tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells

Acquired resistance to tamoxifen has become a serious obstacle in breast cancer treatment. The underlying mechanism responsible for this condition has not been completely elucidated. In this study, a tamoxifen-resistant (Tam-R) MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was developed to mimic the occurrence of acquired tamoxifen resistance as seen in clinical practice. Increased expression levels of HER1, HER2 and the estrogen receptor (ER)-AIB1 complex were found in tamoxifen-resistant cells. EGF stimulation and gefitinib inhibition experiments further demonstrated that HER1/HER2 signaling and AIB1 were involved in the proliferation of cells that had acquired Tam resistance. However, when AIB1 was silenced with AIB1-siRNA in Tam-R cells, the cell growth stimulated by the HER1/HER2 signaling pathway was significantly reduced, and the cells were again found to be inhibited by tamoxifen. These results suggest that the AIB1 protein could be a limiting factor in the HER1/HER2-mediated hormone-independent growth of Tam-R cells. Thus, AIB1 may be a new therapeutic target, and the removal of AIB1 may decrease the crosstalk between ER and the HER1/HER2 pathway, resulting in the restoration of tamoxifen sensitivity in tamoxifen-resistant cells.