Increased 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 levels in primary cervical cancer

Infections with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) strains are recognized as the major risk factor for developing malignant lesions in the uterine cervix. However, several findings have demonstrated cooperation between HPV infection and 17β-estradiol (E2) in cervical carcinogenesis. The 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD17B1) is the enzyme involved in the transformation of estrone (E1) into E2. In this study, we identified the HSD17B1 transcript and protein in HeLa, SiHa, Ca Ski and C-33A cervical cancer cells. These cells were able to convert E1 to E2 in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, we identified the HSD17B1 transcript and protein in primary cancerous tissues (n = 28) and in histologically unchanged tissues (n = 25). We did not observe significant differences (P = 0.33) between the HSD17B1 transcript levels in cancerous tissues and histologically unchanged tissues. However, we found an overrepresentation of the HSD17B1 protein in cancerous tissues compared with histologically unchanged tissues (P < 0.001). This overrepresentation of the HSD17B1 protein in primary cervical cancerous tissues may be responsible for the local conversion of E1 to E2.