Key roles for GRB2-associated-binding protein 1, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, cyclooxygenase 2, prostaglandin E2 and transforming growth factor alpha in linoleic acid-induced upregulation of lung and breast cancer cell growth.

The distribution of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake in Western diets is disproportionate, containing an overabundance of the omega-6 PUFA, linoleic acid (LA; C18:2). Increased enrichment with LA has been shown to contribute to the enhancement of tumorigenesis in several cancer models. Previous work has indicated that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) may play a key role in LA-induced tumorigenesis. However, the modes by which LA affects carcinogenesis have not been fully elucidated. In this study, a mechanism for LA-induced upregulation of cancer cell growth is defined. LA treatment enhanced cellular proliferation in BT-474 human breast ductal carcinoma and A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Enrichment of LA increased cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and led to increases in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), followed by increases in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) levels, which are all key elements involved in the enhancement of cancer cell growth. Further investigation revealed that LA supplementation in both BT-474 breast and A549 lung cancer cell lines greatly increased the association between the scaffolding protein GRB2-associated-binding protein 1 (Gab1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), although Gab1 protein levels were significantly decreased. These LA-induced changes were associated with increases in activated Akt (pAkt), a downstream signaling component in the PI3K pathway. Treatment with inhibitors of EGFR, PI3K and Gab1-specific siRNAs reversed the upregulation of pAkt, as well as the observed increases in cell proliferation by LA in both cell lines. A549 xenograft assessment in athymic nude mice fed high levels of LA exhibited similar increases in EGFR-Gab1 association and increased levels of pAkt, while mice fed with high levels of the omega-3 PUFA, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6), demonstrated an opposite response. The involvement of Gab1 in LA-induced tumorigenesis was further defined utilizing murine cell lines that express high levels of Gab1. Significant increases in cell proliferation were observed with the addition of increasing concentrations of LA. However, no changes in cell proliferation were detected in the murine paired cell lines expressing little or no Gab1 protein, establishing Gab1 as major target in LA-induced enhancement of tumorigenesis.