Prostaglandin E 2 suppresses KCNH1 gene expression and inhibits the proliferation of CaSki cervical cells through its four prostanoid PTGER subtypes.

The main risk factor for cervical cancer is the persistent infection of high-risk HPV subtypes, notably HPV16. Another contributing factor is proinflammatory prostaglandin E ₂ (PGE ₂ ), a lipid abundantly found in seminal fluid. PGE ₂ , along with its receptors (PTGER1-4), contributes to cancer development; however, its specific role in the proliferation of cervical cancer models with high HPV16 copy numbers remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of PGE ₂ on the proliferation of CaSki cells, a cell line with a high HPV16 viral load. Surprisingly, PGE ₂ inhibited CaSki cell proliferation, while it increased the proliferation of SiHa, HeLa, and C-33 A cervical cancer cells. The effect of PGE ₂ on CaSki cell proliferation was specific, as estradiol increased cell growth. Furthermore, PGE ₂ suppressed expression and promoter activity of the cervical tumoral marker KCNH1. To discern the specific role of each receptor in cell proliferation, we generated stable CaSki cell lines overexpressing each receptor alongside control cells with an empty vector. Notably, PGE ₂ significantly inhibited cell proliferation in all stable transfected CaSki cells, suppressing oncogenic KCNH1 expression and its promoter activity. In conclusion, our findings indicate that PGE ₂ inhibits the proliferation of CaSki cervical cancer cells with a high HPV16 load, at least in part, by suppressing the expression of the oncogenic KCNH1 gene.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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