
[Cancer Research 60, 1267-1275, March 1, 2000]
© 2000 American Association for Cancer Research
Sensitivity of the Cervical Transformation Zone to Estrogen-induced Squamous Carcinogenesis1
David A. Elson,
Rebeccah R. Riley,
Ama Lacey,
Gudmundur Thordarson,
Frank J. Talamantes and
Jeffrey M. Arbeit2
Cancer Genetics and Gynecological Oncology Programs, University of California San Francisco Cancer Center [D. A. E., R. R. R., A. L., J. M. A.], and the Department of Surgery [J. M. A.], University of California, San Francisco, California 94143; and the Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 [G. T., F. J. T.]
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ABSTRACT
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Regions where one type of epithelium replaces another (metaplasia) have
a predilection for cancer formation. Environmental factors are closely
linked to metaplastic carcinogenesis. In particular, cervical cancers
associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection develop primarily
at the transformation zone, a region where metaplastic squamous cells
are detected in otherwise columnar epithelial-lined endocervical
glands. Previously, we reported estrogen-induced multistage vaginal and
cervical carcinogenesis in transgenic mice expressing HPV16 oncogenes
in basal squamous epithelial cells. In the present study to investigate
the threshold neoplastic response to exogenous estrogen, we treated
groups of transgenic mice with lower hormone doses. A 5-fold reduction
in estrogen dose induced squamous carcinogenesis solely at the cervical
transformation zone compared with other reproductive tract
sites. Further study delineated stages of transformation zone
carcinogenesis, including formation of hyperplastic lower uterine
glands and emergence of multiple foci of squamous metaplasia from
individual stem-like glandular reserve cells, followed by neoplastic
progression of metaplasia to dysplasia and squamous cancer. We propose
that a combination of low-dose estrogen and low-level HPV oncogene
expression biases transformation zone glandular reserve cells toward
squamous rather than columnar epithelial fate decisions. Synergistic
activation of proliferation by viral oncoprotein cell cycle
dysregulation and estrogen receptor signaling, together with
altered paracrine stromal-epithelial interactions, may conspire to
support and promote neoplastic progression and cancer formation.
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INTRODUCTION
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Epithelial carcinogenesis frequently arises from metaplasia, a
process in which a particular cell type, normally resident in a
different tissue or organ, is found in another tissue (1)
.
Common features of metaplasia include alterations of stem cell fate
decisions and epithelial-stromal tissue remodeling (2)
.
Metaplasia occurs during development and sexual maturation, but its
appearance as an adaptive response to noxious environmental stimuli
appears to be the first stage of several types of epithelial cancers.
Examples of metaplastic epithelial carcinogenesis include
(a) columnar cell metaplasia (Barretts esophagus), chronic
gastroesophageal acid reflux, and esophageal adenocarcinoma
(3)
; (b) gastric intestinal metaplasia,
Helicobacter pylori infection, and gastric cancer (4
, 5)
; (c) stratified squamous metaplasia, chronic
smoking, and lung cancer; and (d) glandular squamous
metaplasia, "high-risk"
HPV3
infection, and uterine cervical cancer (6
, 7)
. Despite an
increasing understanding of the molecular controls of epithelial
carcinogenesis in general (8)
, the precise mechanisms
underlying induction of epithelial metaplasia or its predilection for
carcinogenesis are obscure.
Cervical carcinogenesis associated with HPV primarily affects
metaplastic squamous epithelium in a specific anatomical location, the
transformation zone. The topography and natural history of this region
is complex and dynamic, affected by age, hormonal status, pregnancy,
and parity (1)
. In adult women, the transformation zone
usually is on the vaginal surface of the cervix, an irregular line of
demarcation dividing one type of epithelium from another
(1)
. Microscopically, columnar epithelium lines both the
endocervical canal and associated endocervical glands, whereas squamous
epithelium covers the outer cervix. During cervical squamous
metaplasia, foci of squamous cells are detectable among the
endocervical glandular columnar epithelium (1)
. HPV
appears to be tropic for the cervical transformation zone during
infection and persistent disease. The transformation zone may have a
unique estrogen metabolism compared with other reproductive tract
epithelial cell types producing hormone metabolites with direct
genotoxicity (9)
.
We investigated mechanisms of multistage HPV-associated squamous
carcinogenesis in K14-HPV16 transgenic mice containing the entire HPV16
early region cloned behind the human keratin-14 promoter and expressing
viral oncogenes in basal squamous epithelial cells
(10, 11, 12, 13)
. Chronic estrogen treatment induced squamous
cancers predominantly in the vagina and outer cervix of transgenic mice
(14)
. In the present study, we discovered that a 5-fold
reduction in hormone dosage, compared with our original study
(14)
, produced multistage carcinogenesis restricted solely
to the cervical transformation zone of transgenic mice. Transformation
zone carcinogenesis exhibits a biology distinctive from that of our
previous model. Multifocal glandular squamous metaplasia develops in
the lower uterus, and metaplastic foci progress to high-grade dysplasia
and invasive cancers. Expansion of a basal squamous cell population
potentially expressing both estrogen receptor-
and the HPV transgene
may also underlie synergism between viral oncogenes and estrogen.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Mouse Breeding, Care, and Hormone Treatment.
Subcutaneous continuous release pellets that deliver 17ß-estradiol at
doses of 0.25, 0.10, 0.05, and 0.01 mg over 60 days (Innovative
Research of America, Sarasota, FL) were implanted in the dorsal back
skin of heterozygous 1-month-old K14-1203#1 transgenic mice
(15)
. Groups of mice were treated with hormone for 1, 3,
4, 5, and 6 months. Those groups treated for longer than 2 months had
two or three separate pellet insertions. Mice were housed in a
pathogen-free barrier facility, and all procedures were approved by the
University of California, San Francisco, Committee on Animal Research.
Animal Sacrifice, Perfusion, and Dissection.
As described previously (13
, 15)
, mice received i.p.
injections of 100 mg/kg BrdUrd, and under Avertin anesthesia,
were sacrificed 2 h later by perfusion of the ascending aorta with
3.75% paraformaldehyde. Reproductive tracts and surrounding soft
tissue, including any lymph nodes, were dissected and postfixed
overnight at 4°C. The posterior wall of the vagina was removed, and
the tissues were rinsed in PBS, dehydrated through graded alcohols and
xylene, oriented with the cut vaginal surface facing downward, embedded
in paraffin, and 5-µm sections were stained with H&E.
Keratin Immunohistochemistry.
Immunoperoxidase staining for keratin-14 expression was performed as
described previously (11
, 15)
. Sections were incubated
with a rabbit antimouse K14 antibody (BAbCO), 1:10,000 in 3% BSA,
overnight at 4°C. Immunoperoxidase staining was performed using
3,3'-diaminobenzidine (cat. no. D5637; Sigma), and the sections
were counterstained with hematoxylin.
Tissue DNA Synthesis.
Immunohistochemistry to detect BrdUrd incorporation was performed as
described previously (13
, 15)
. The number of
diaminobenzidine-positive nuclei was counted in five adjacent x20
fields in the cervical canal and transformation zone.
Estrogen Receptor Expression.
Paraffin sections were melted at 55°C for 20 min, immediately
deparaffinized, rehydrated, and microwave-boiled for 10 min in 10
mM citrate buffer (pH 6.0). After cooling to room
temperature, sections were blocked in 10% BSA, incubated overnight at
4°C with ER-21 antibody (1:15,000 in 3% BSA; Geoffrey Greene,
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL), biotinylated goat antirabbit serum
(1:200 in BSA) for 1 h, followed by ABC-alkaline phosphatase
reagent for 1 h (Vector Labs, Burlingame, CA). Slides were
washed in 0.1 M Tris (pH 9.5) and incubated in the dark for
1.5 h in 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate/nitroblue
tetrazolium substrate reagent (SK-5400; Vector) with levamisole.
Serum Estrogen Levels.
Blood was collected by periorbital puncture into heparinized tubes and
centrifuged; serum estrogen was assayed using a RIA (Diagnostic
Products, Los Angeles, CA), modified for mouse serum (16)
.
In Situ Hybridization.
In situ hybridization for expression of HPV16 E6/E7 and
control mRNAs was performed as described previously (14
, 17)
. Sections were exposed for 1 month, developed, and
counterstained with H&E.
Microscopic Imaging and Statistical Analysis.
Microscopic images were captured using a Leica DMRXA microscope
equipped with a Spot digital camera (Diagnostic Instruments, Inc.).
Images were composed using Adobe Photoshop 5.5 (San Jose, CA).
Numerical data are presented as the mean ± SD, and were
analyzed statistically by two-way ANOVA and
2
analysis, using Graph Pad 2 software (San Diego, CA).
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RESULTS
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Location of Squamous Carcinogenesis Varies According to
Estrogen Dose.
To investigate the threshold of estrogen-induced reproductive
tract squamous carcinogenesis, different groups of K14-HPV16 transgenic
and nontransgenic mice were treated for intervals up to 6 months with
the same hormone doses used in previous experiments (14)
and lower hormone doses (Table 1
and Fig. 1
). Table 1
delineates the total number of transgenic and nontransgenic
mice starting treatment in each group and the subset of transgenic and
nontransgenic mice treated with each dose of 17ß-estradiol for 6
months. This part of the study was designed to delineate the location
of reproductive tract cancers; thus, derivation of cancer incidence
versus dose was not available. The frequency distribution of
the numbers of cancers occurring at different levels of the
reproductive tract was significantly different for mice treated
with either 0.25 or 0.10 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol compared with
transgenic mice treated with 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol (Fig. 1)
.
Transgenic mice treated with either 0.25 or 0.10 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol predominantly developed squamous cancers of the vulva,
vagina, and lower/outer cervix (Fig. 1, a and c
,
and Fig. 1b
, panels 13, respectively). In
contrast, 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol induced squamous cancers that
were almost exclusively localized to the transformation zone situated
between the upper cervix and the lower uterus (Fig. 1b
,
panel 4, and Fig. 1c
). Despite extensive invasion
into underlying stromal tissues, none of the transgenic mice treated
with any dose of 17ß-estradiol developed lymph node metastasis. The
0.01 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol dose did not affect the reproductive
tract squamous epithelium of either transgenic or nontransgenic mice
when compared with placebo-treated controls matched for stages of
estrus (Fig. 1b
, panels 5 and 6, and
insets therein). Nontransgenic mice treated with each
17ß-estradiol dose developed squamous epithelial thickening
consistent with benign hyperplasia (Fig. 1)
. None of the nontransgenic
mice treated with any estrogen dose developed neoplasia or malignancy
(data not shown and Fig. 1
). Spontaneous reproductive tract pathology
did not develop in placebo-treated transgenic mice.

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Fig. 1. Different doses of estrogen induce cancers distributed
throughout the reproductive tract. a, schematic of the
murine female reproductive tract, indicating regions analyzed.
b, reproductive tract histopathology after 6 months of
treatment with different doses of 17ß-estradiol. Panels
1 and 2, vulvar and vaginal cancers in
transgenic mice treated with 0.25 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol
(arrowheads delineate the extent of cancer).
Panel 3, an invasive cancer replacing the entire outer
cervix in a transgenic mouse treated with 0.10 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol. Panel 4, multifocal transformation zone
cancer (arrowheads) and extensive glandular hyperplasia
and multifocal squamous metaplasia in a transgenic mouse treated with
0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol. Transformation zones in
transgenic mice treated with 0.01 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol
(panel 5) or placebo (mouse in estrus; panel
6) demonstrate mild squamous epithelial thickening but no
glandular hyperplasia or invasion of underlying stroma by branching
lower uterine glands as in panel 4. Bars
in all panels = 200 µm; bars in
insets in panels 5 and
6 = 20 µm. c, frequency
distribution of cancers induced by different continuous doses of
17ß-estradiol at each anatomical site in the reproductive tract. The
total number of mice with cancer in each dosage group is indicated in
the key at the top left of the panel. Neither cancer nor
dysplasia developed in any mouse treated with 0.01 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol, or in any nontransgenic mouse.
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Similar to our previous study (14)
, estrogen
treatment caused mortality in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice
(Table 1)
. Mortality during estrogen treatment was due to urinary
bladder dilation in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice. Mice
severely affected by bladder dysfunction were sacrificed immediately
for reproductive tract histopathological analysis and were designated
as a "mortality." Deaths in the 0.25 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol
groups occurred as early as after 2.5 months of treatment, whereas all
unscheduled deaths in the 0.1 and 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol groups
occurred after 56 months of treatment. As such, calculation of
mortality for the entire group of mice encompassing the entire study
diluted mortality estimates for the lower estrogen doses because of
inclusion of early time points (Table 1)
. Therefore, we analyzed a
small subset of transgenic and nontransgenic mice treated with estrogen
for 6 months (Table 1)
. Mortality in the 0.25 and 0.10 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol groups was greater than that reported previously for
this model (14)
and may have been due to modifier effects
of the FVN/n in-bred strain (see "Discussion"). Although there was
no statistically significant difference in mortality between groups,
there was a clear trend toward reduction in mortality in mice treated
with 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol (see "Discussion"). Despite
step-sectioning of the bladder and the urethra, our analysis did not
reveal a discrete point of bladder obstruction (data not shown). There
was no significant difference in mortality between transgenic and
nontransgenic mice, and none of the mice treated with 0.01 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol died (Table 1)
.
To determine the effect of each estrogen dose on blood hormone
levels, serum was obtained from transgenic and nontransgenic mice
treated for 7 weeks with 60-day release hormone or placebo pellets
(Fig. 2)
. Previous studies from the pellet manufacturer demonstrated constant
hormone release without "peak and trough" effects at the beginning
and end of the 60-day dosing interval (18)
. Compared with
placebo, the 0.25 and the 0.10 mg/60-day doses elevated serum estrogen
1121-fold and 615-fold, respectively. Although there was no
statistically significant elevation of serum estrogen levels produced
by the 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol dose compared with
placebo-treated mice in diestrus, the 50% elevation of serum hormone
levels in this group was most likely biologically significant (Fig. 2)
.
Moreover, cumulative reproductive tract histopathological analysis of
all transgenic and nontransgenic mice treated with 0.05 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol revealed that this dose prevented estrus cycling,
whereas progesterone effects were seen in mice treated with 0.01
mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol.

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Fig. 2. Scatter diagram of the distribution of serum estrogen
levels in mice at the beginning and in the middle of the estrus cycle
or treated with different continuous doses of 17ß-estradiol.
Transgenic and nontransgenic mice were treated with 17ß-estradiol for
7 weeks prior to sample collection for serum estrogen levels. Mice
treated with 0.25 and 0.10 mg 17ß-estradiol released over 60 days
displayed 1121- or 615-fold elevations in serum estrogen levels,
respectively. Although serum estrogen levels in mice treated with 0.05
mg/6-day 17ß-estradiol were not statistically significantly elevated
compared with untreated mice in the beginning of the estrus cycle
(diestrus), the mean 50% elevation in serum hormone
levels in this group was sufficient to place treated mice in persistent
estrus. a, mg of 17ß-estradiol per 60-day dose.
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Time Course of Transformation Zone Carcinogenesis.
The remainder of the study focused on elucidation of the biology
of multistage transformation zone carcinogenesis induced by treatment
of transgenic and nontransgenic mice with 0.05 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol. Here, cancer incidence was determined by serial
sacrifice of transgenic and concurrent nontransgenic control mice at
intermediate time points of neoplastic progression1, 3, 4, and 5
months of hormone treatmentinclusive of the 6-month hormone treatment
group discussed above (Fig. 3)
. Transformation zone cancers were first detected after 4 months of
treatment in 30% of transgenic mice, and increased to 60% after 5
months and 91% after 6 months of hormone treatment (Fig. 3a
, also see "Discussion"). Fig. 3b
illustrates the reproductive tract histopathology of
17ß-estradiol-treated nontransgenic (panels 1,
3, 5, and 7) and transgenic
(panels 2, 4, 6, and 8)
mice. After 1 and 4 months of treatment, there was a progressive
increase in the thickness and proximal extension of the squamous
epithelium into the lower uterus in the transgenic compared with the
nontransgenic mice (Fig. 3b
, panels 14). In
addition, squamous metaplasia was evident in lower uterine glands,
particularly in the reproductive tracts of transgenic mice (see
arrowhead in Fig. 3b
, panel 4).
Metaplastic lower uterine glands were separated from the anatomical
squamo-columnar junction by columnar epithelium (Fig. 3b
,
panels 4, 6, and 8). After 5 months of
17ß-estradiol treatment, the transformation zone of both
nontransgenic and transgenic mice displayed a profusion of lower
uterine glands. These glands were hyperplastic, with extensive branches
penetrating into the stroma (Fig. 3b
, panels 5
and 6, and Fig. 3c
). In the transgenic
mice, extensive squamous metaplasia was detectable in these
hyperplastic glands and was the source for high-grade dysplasia and
multifocal squamous carcinomas (Fig. 3b
, panel 6,
and Fig. 3c
, lower panel). After 6 months
of hormone treatment, there were further increases in the number and
stromal extension of transformation zone glands in nontransgenic mice
(Fig. 3b
, panel 7) and more extensive glandular
squamous metaplasia and stromal invasion by multifocal squamous
carcinomas in transgenic mice (Fig. 3b
, panel 8).

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Fig. 3. Cancer incidence and histopathology of multistage
transformation zone carcinogenesis. a, incidence and
onset of transformation zone cancers in transgenic mice treated at 1
month of age with 0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol for indicated
intervals. b, histopathology of multistage
transformation zone carcinogenesis in transgenic (panels
2, 4, 6, and 8)
and nontransgenic (panels 1, 3,
5, and 7) mice. After 1 month of hormone
treatment, there is squamous epithelial hyperplasia in both
nontransgenic (panel 1) and transgenic (panel
2) mice. Following 4 months of treatment, increased squamous
hyperplasia, epithelial papillomatosis, dysplasia, and squamous
metaplasia (arrowhead) are evident in the transgenic
(panel 4) compared with nontransgenic (panel
3) mice. After 5 months of treatment, lower uterine glands in
nontransgenic mice were hyperplastic (panel 5,
arrowhead; region magnified in c,
upper panel), whereas metaplasia, dysplasia, and
squamous cancer were present in the corresponding region in transgenic
mice (panel 6, arrowhead; region
magnified in c, lower panel). Following 6
months of hormone treatment, lower uterine glandular hyperplasia and
hypertrophy further increase in nontransgenic mice (panel
7), whereas multifocal squamous cancer replaces nearly the
entire transformation zone in transgenic mice (panel 8).
c, hyperplastic lower uterine glands in a nontransgenic
mouse (upper panel), and multifocal in
situ glandular squamous metaplasia, dysplasia, and cancer in a
transgenic mouse (lower panel).
Bars = 100 µm.
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Transformation Zone Metaplasia Appears to Arise from Subcolumnar
Glandular Reserve Cells.
To further investigate the origins of metaplasia during
transformation zone carcinogenesis, expression of keratin-14, a
squamous epithelial cell marker, was determined (Fig. 4)
. After 1 month of 17ß-estradiol treatment, transformation zones in
both transgenic and nontransgenic mice demonstrated focal keratin-14
expression within two to three lower uterine glands (Fig. 4
,
panels 1 and 2). Metaplastic lower uterine glands
were separated from the cervical squamous epithelium by a considerable
length of intervening columnar epithelium (Fig. 4
, panels 1
and 2). After 6 months of hormone treatment, the
transformation zones in transgenic mice displayed an increase in the
frequency of metaplastic lower uterine glands (Fig. 4
, panel
4). Higher magnification of the transgenic transformation zone
revealed multifocal squamous metaplasia in several different lower
uterine glands as well as within individual lower uterine glands
(Fig. 4
, panel 5). Metaplastic foci appeared to arise from
single cells located at the epithelial-stromal interface (Fig. 4
,
panel 5 inset). In contrast, squamous metaplasia was
decreased at the transformation zone of nontransgenic mice (Fig. 4
,
panel 3).

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Fig. 4. Keratin-14 expression patterns during multistage
transformation zone carcinogenesis. Following 1 month of estrogen
treatment, there are scattered metaplastic lower uterine glands
expressing keratin-14 in both nontransgenic (panel 1)
and transgenic (panel 2) mice. After 6 months of
estrogen treatment, the extent of lower uterine and upper cervical
keratin-14 expression decreases in nontransgenic mice (panel
3) compared with their counterparts treated for 1 month.
Transformation zone squamous metaplasia is extensive in the transgenic
mice (panel 4, arrowheads; indicate
region magnified in panel 5). Multifocal squamous
metaplasia occurs in several glands and at multiple sites within each
gland (panel 5, arrowhead; gland
magnified in inset). Keratin-14 expression in single
basal cells immediately adjacent to the stroma (inset,
panel 5) is consistent with reserve cell squamous
metaplasia. Bars: panels 14 = 200 µm; panel 5 = 100 µm;
inset = 20 µm.
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Proliferation and Transgene Expression during Transformation Zone
Carcinogenesis.
One explanation for localization of transformation zone
carcinogenesis would be a focal increase of proliferation. Squamous
epithelial proliferation was quantified by counting transformation zone
BrdUrd-labeled nuclei compared with a separate enumeration of
BrdUrd-positive cells within the cervical canal. Enumeration rather
than determination of an incorporation index was performed because the
architecture of the transformation zone was complex, encompassing
convoluted glands and multiple cell types. From 1 to 6 months of
hormone treatment, there was a statistically significant increase in
transformation zone S-phase nuclei of transgenic mice compared with
nontransgenic mice (data not shown, and Fig. 5
). Representative immunohistochemical tissue sections demonstrated that
estrogen induced an increase in BrdUrd-positive cells within both the
squamous epithelium and the stroma in transgenic mice compared with
nontransgenic mice. Subcolumnar cells resembling reserve-like cells or
keratinocytes were more frequently in S-phase in estrogen-treated
transgenic compared with nontransgenic mice (Fig. 5
,
arrowheads).

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Fig. 5. Pattern and distribution of proliferative cells at the
transformation zone in transgenic and nontransgenic mice treated with
0.05 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol. Determination of S-phase lower uterine
glandular epithelial cells at the transformation zone of nontransgenic
(A and C) and transgenic mice
(B and D) 2 h post i.p. injection of
100 µg/kg BrdUrd. Following 1 month of 17ß-estradiol treatment,
there is no difference in number of S-phase cells in either
nontransgenic (A) or transgenic (B) mice.
After 6 months of hormone treatment, the number of S-phase nuclei are
markedly increased in transgenic (D) compared with
nontransgenic (C) mice. In transgenic mice, S-phase
nuclei are detected in both the stroma and glandular epithelium.
S-phase nuclei within the glandular epithelium are predominantly in the
basal layer, and most have a circular to triangular shape consistent
with squamous rather than columnar cells (see arrowheads
in D). Bars = 20 µm.
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Increases in proliferation could be due to up-regulation of
transgene expression during estrogen-induced transformation zone
carcinogenesis. However, similar to our previous study
(14)
, HPV E6/E7 transgene expression remained at a
threshold level of detection at each time point of cervical neoplastic
progression, without a focal increase at the transformation zone
compared with other parts of the reproductive tract (data not shown).
Hybridization to a keratin-14 riboprobe (14)
and selected
other nuclear transcription factors demonstrated that the reproductive
tract mRNA was intact (data not shown).
Estrogen Receptor Expression Patterns during Transformation
Zone Carcinogenesis.
Because estrogen receptor-
is known to stimulate reproductive
tract proliferation (19
, 20)
, we investigated the
distribution of receptor expression immunohistochemically. Estrogen
receptor-
protein was detected in both basal squamous epithelial and
underlying stromal cells in both nontransgenic and transgenic mice
after 1 month of 17ß-estradiol treatment (Fig. 6
, panels 1 and 2, respectively). After 6 months of
hormone treatment, the populations of basal and basaloid cells
expressing estrogen receptor-
were markedly expanded in the
transgenic mice compared with the nontransgenic mice, particularly in
dysplastic squamous epithelium (Fig. 6
, panels 2 and
4 compared with panel 5). In metaplastic and
dysplastic lower uterine glands of transgenic mice in which columnar
epithelium was juxtaposed to squamous epithelium, estrogen receptor-
expression appeared to be greater in the former compared with the
latter. Estrogen receptor-
expression was also evident in the
squamous epithelial component of transformation zone cancers (Fig. 6
,
panels 6 and 7).
 |
DISCUSSION
|
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Using hormone titration, we refined our previous study,
creating a model of cervical carcinogenesis originating from and within
squamous metaplasia at the transformation zone of K14-HPV16 transgenic
mice. Although this model closely emulates human disease, there are
features, unique to its creation, that are specific to the system. In
particular, cervical carcinogenesis is induced by continuous exposure
to estrogen. Although the 17ß-estradiol dose did not result in a
several-fold elevation in serum hormone levels, the 3040% elevation
in serum hormone levels was sufficient to place these mice in
persistent estrus (data not shown). As such, our analysis of serum
hormone levels has motivated future experiments to test whether
spontaneous cervical carcinogenesis can be produced in adult transgenic
mice by induction of persistent estrus, using the model of neonatal
estrogen treatment (21)
. Urinary obstruction secondary to
bladder dilation also is a concomitant of continuous estrogen
treatment. Indeed, the 3045% mortality in mice treated with 0.25 and
0.10 mg/60-day 17ß-estradiol was unexpectedly higher in than our
previous study (14)
. One explanation for this result is
that our present study was performed in transgenic and nontransgenic
littermates backcrossed into the FVB/n strain for 2425 generations,
whereas our previous study used mice at n = 1314 into FVB/n (14)
. Although 10 backcross generations
is sufficient to generate congenic strains (22)
, it is
possible that a modifier locus closely linked to the transgene was
responsible for increased sensitivity to 17ß-estradiol. Indeed,
polymorphisms such as differential methylation of estradiol have been
described in humans and are hypothesized to be a susceptibility factor
in hormonal carcinogenesis (23
, 24)
. Moreover, the degree
and location of estrogen hydroxylation have also been reported to
potentially play roles in either direct genotoxicity (9
, 25)
or cytotoxicity and inhibition of angiogenesis
(26)
. As such, the incidence of bladder obstruction was a
prime motivation to test further dose reduction for both carcinogenic
induction and concomitant reduction in this complication. We are
confident that the 21% mortality in mice treated with 0.05 mg/60-day
17ß-estradiol is a true decrease in mortality because further study
with this model, using larger cohorts of transgenic and nontransgenic
mice, demonstrated that 6 months of hormone treatment with this dose
can be accomplished with 010%
mortality.4 Moreover, we have
preliminary data from interspecific F1 hybrids
suggesting that the FVB/n background may be more permissive for
estrogen-induced cervical carcinogenesis compared with other inbred
strains, which is reminiscent of sensitivity of FVB/n to epidermal
carcinogenesis (11
, 27)
. Further study has also revealed a
3080% (wide range due to small numbers) incidence of invasive
cervical cancer after 4.5 months of hormone treatment with no
mortality.4 These emerging data suggest
that studies of shorter duration can be designed to test for either
genetic complementation or chemoprevention of cervical carcinogenesis.
Squamous metaplasia appears to be the first stage of
transformation zone carcinogenesis in both our model and in clinical
disease. Although the location of the transformation zone in mice is at
the junction of the upper cervix and lower uterus, in contrast to the
portio of the cervix in humans, there are data implicating the
glandular reserve cells in human disease (28, 29, 30)
, as we
suspect in our transgenic mouse model. For example, both ectocervical
and endocervical cells can be cultured from the human cervix
(31)
. Although endocervical cells are derived from
endocervical glands lined by columnar epithelium, they also produce
colonies that simultaneously express both the squamous marker
keratin-14 and the columnar marker keratin-18 (31)
.
Transplantation of endocervical cells into immuno-deficient hosts
elaborates monolayers resembling immature squamous metaplasia, whereas
transplantation of ectocervical cells produces well-differentiated,
stratified squamous epithelium (31)
. The more commonly
held view of the origins of glandular metaplasia is migration and
replacement of glandular columnar epithelium by adjacent squamous
cells. Recent data suggest that enhanced cell motility, possibly
facilitated by HPV E6 binding to paxillin (32)
, may
contribute to this phenomenon. However, development of multifocal
squamous metaplasia at a distance from the squamo-columnar junction in
our model is consistent with the possibility that cervical
carcinogenesis may originate from individual glandular reserve cells
(29
, 31) .
Squamous metaplasia is also more extensive in estrogen-treated
transgenic versus nontransgenic mice. Squamous metaplasia
appears to be induced in the vagina and cervix by a decrease in pH
(1)
. Epithelial acidification occurs during adolescence as
a result of increased estrogen production, vaginal bacterial flora
alterations, and epithelial wounding (1
, 33)
. Yeast
two-hybrid screens have demonstrated binding of M2 pyruvate kinase to
HPV16 E7 (34)
. HPV E7 stabilizes the dimeric compared with
the tetrameric form of M2 pyruvate kinase (34)
. Substrate
utilization by dimeric M2 pyruvate kinase shifts intracellular glucose
metabolism to aerobic glycolysis rather than tricarboxylic acid cycle
oxidation (34)
. One hypothesis suggested by these
biochemical data is that E7-mediated intracellular acidosis due to
lactate accumulation may be a signal that contributes to a squamous
rather than a columnar fate decision in glandular reserve cells in
estrogen-treated transgenic mice.
Several features of our present model suggest that a combination
of cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous factors conspire to induce
transformation zone cervical carcinogenesis. Expression of estrogen
receptor-
and the HPV oncogenes (14)
in the same basal
cell population suggest a cell autonomous contribution to squamous
epithelial dysplasia and subsequent invasive cancer. There are a number
of molecular scenarios, predominantly involving parallel pathways, for
estrogen receptor-
signaling to synergize with the cellular effects
of the HPV16 oncoproteins. For example, increases in E2F activity
secondary to pRB destabilization by HPV E7 up-regulates a collection of
genes, including thymidylate kinase and dihydrofolate reductase,
increasing nucleotide pools required for DNA synthesis by estrogen
receptor-
target genes (35)
. Synergism between estrogen
receptor-
and HPV could also occur at the level of the epithelial
growth factor receptor, whose cell surface recycling is
increased by HPV E5 oncoprotein (36, 37, 38)
. Up-regulation of
estrogen receptor-
transcriptional activity can be produced by
epithelial growth factor receptor-mediated activation of the MAP
kinase pathway, which can directly phosphorylate the hormone receptor
(39)
. Indirect interaction between the HPV oncoproteins
and estrogen receptor-
transactivation may also occur at the level
of chromatin remodeling. Ligand-bound nuclear receptors recruit
coactivator(s) that possess histone acetylase activity to DNA
(40)
. Chromatin histone acetylation increases
transcription machinery access to DNA (40)
. Conversely,
retinoblastoma protein transcriptional repression is mediated by
recruitment of histone deacetylase to DNA (41)
. HPV E7
disrupts complex formation between histone deacetylase and the
retinoblastoma protein (42)
. Thus, HPV E7 may further
increase chromosomal DNA access at estrogen receptor response elements.
Non-cell autonomous cooperation between ligand-activated estrogen
receptor-
and the HPV oncoproteins may also occur. Metaplastic
squamous epithelium emerges from highly branched, hyperplastic, lower
uterine glands induced by chronic low-dose estrogen treatment. These
structures likely form as a result of stromal-epithelial interactions
at the transformation zone of estrogen-treated mice, possibly
coordinated by transcription and release of growth factors from the
underlying stroma in response to activation of estrogen receptor-
by
ligand. Induction of dysplasia in the overlying neoplastic squamous
epithelium of transgenic mice could be mediated by squamous epithelial
cell cycle dysregulation and altered genomic stability mediated by HPV
E7 and E6 (43)
.
Thus, similar to human disease, transformation zone
carcinogenesis in estrogen-treated K14-HPV16 transgenic mice cannot be
explained by a single molecular feature; rather, it is multifactorial
(Fig. 7)
. Chronic estrogen treatment stimulates development of hyperplastic
lower uterine glands. These glands become "fertile soil," fostering
squamous metaplasia and neoplastic progression. Glandular stem-like
reserve cells can express low levels of keratin-14 (31)
and, in transgenic mice, the HPV oncogenes. Interaction of HPV16 E7
oncoprotein with M2 pyruvate kinase could produce decreased
intracellular pH (34)
, potentially biasing glandular
reserve cell fate decision(s) toward metaplastic squamous rather than
columnar epithelium (Ref. 1
and Fig. 7
). Continuous HPV E6
and E7 oncogene expression can cause persistent cell cycle
dysregulation (44)
and facilitate genetic instability
(45)
. Estrogen receptor-
signaling within squamous
epithelial cells, between glandular columnar and metaplastic squamous
cells, and elaborated from the underlying stroma may further contribute
to carcinogenesis. This study sets the stage to elucidate cell
autonomous and non-cell autonomous contributions to transformation zone
carcinogenesis, using either genetic complementation or pharmacological
treatments, either antineoplastic or chemopreventive, that target each
element of this model.

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|
Fig. 7. Model of estrogen-induced transformation zone
carcinogenesis. Glandular reserve cells can differentiate into
columnar or squamous cells. Following a
squamous cell fate decision, a combination of cell
autonomous and non-cell autonomous factors
foster multistage carcinogenesis in metaplastic glands.
|
|
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
|
|---|
We thank Frank McCormick, Keith Yamamoto, Allan Balmain, and Joe
Gray for review of the manuscript, and Robert Cardiff for helpful
discussions.
 |
FOOTNOTES
|
|---|
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 Supported by Grant R01-CA-71398 and in part by
Grant NO1-CN-75106, both from the National Cancer Institute. 
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at UCSF Cancer Center, 2340 Sutter Street, Box 0808, San
Francisco, CA 94143-0808. Phone: (415) 502-3292; Fax: (415) 476-8218;
E-mail: jarbeit{at}cc.ucsf.edu 
3 The abbreviations used are: HPV, human
papillomavirus; BrdUrd, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine. 
4 Unpublished data. 
Received 9/30/99.
Accepted 1/ 5/00.
 |
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