Hormone receptor associated epigenetic reprogramming as a mediator of environmental exposure in women's health

National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences

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Abstract

In addition to demonstrating that phthalates can impact the phenotype,of T47D cells in culture, we have characterized differences in phthalates binding to PR and the impact exposure has on progesterone receptor expression. Specifically we have shown that progesterone receptor is stabilized in the presence of the phthalate mixture with endogenous progesterone in a synergistic way. As a follow up to this, we performed biochemistry experiments and have found that neither MEHP and DEHP bind directly to the ligand binding domain of PR. These findings have lead us to try and understand whether the observed synergism at the protein level correlates to changes at the transcriptomic level and changes to chromatin structure.