Tristetraprolin mediates the anti-proliferative effects of metformin in breast cancer cells

Metformin, which is a drug commonly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, has anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect remain largely unknown. The aim is to investigate the role of tristetraprolin (TTP), an AU-rich element-binding protein, in anti-proliferative effects of metformin in cancer cells. p53 wild-type and p53 mutant breast cancer cells were treated with metformin, and expression of TTP and c-Myc was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Western blots, and promoter activity assay. Breast cancer cells were transfected with siRNA against TTP to inhibit TTP expression or c-Myc and, after metformin treatment, analyzed for cell proliferation by MTS assay. Metformin induces the expression of tristetraprolin (TTP) in breast cancer cells in a p53-independent manner. Importantly, inhibition of TTP abrogated the anti-proliferation effect of metformin. We observed that metformin decreased c-Myc levels, and ectopic expression of c-Myc blocked the effect of metformin on TTP expression and cell proliferation. Our data indicate that metformin induces TTP expression by reducing the expression of c-Myc, suggesting a new model whereby TTP acts as a mediator of metformin’s anti-proliferative activity in cancer cells.