Differential expression of stromal aromatase in obese females is regulated by DNA methylation

Abstract

Obesity increases the incidence, progression and mortality of breast cancer among postmenopausal females. This is partly due to excessive estrogen production in the adipose tissue of obese females. Aromatase is a key enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis. In the current study, the tensional force-triggered inducibility of aromatase expression was observed to vary in ASCs isolated from different disease-free individuals. In addition, this phenomenon was associated with the activation of the aromatase PII promoter and its DNA methylation load. These findings highlight the impact of tensional forces on estrogen biosynthesis in obese females.