Background: Previously, we reported that dual-specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) was differentially expressed in endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EEA). However, the role of DUSP1 in EEA progression and the relationship between DUSP1 and medroxyprogesterone (MPA) are still unclear.
Methods: The expression of DUSP1 in EEA specimens was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. The effect of DUSP1 on cell proliferation was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit 8 and colony formation assay, and cell migration was analyzed by transwell assay. MPA-induced DUSP1 expression in EEA cells was measured by Western blot.
Results: DUSP1 expression was deficient in advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, high-grade and myometrial invasive EEA. In EEA cell lines (Hec1A, Hec1B, RL952, and Ishikawa), the DUSP1 expression was substantially higher in Ishikawa cells than in other cell lines (P < 0.05). Knockdown of DUSP1 promoted Ishikawa cells proliferation, migration, and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/Erk) pathway. MPA-induced DUSP1 expression and inhibited MAPK/Erk pathway in Ishikawa cells.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that DUSP1 deficiency promotes EEA progression via MAPK/Erk pathway, which may be reversed by MPA, suggesting that DUSP1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of EEA.