P120-catenin down-regulation and epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression results in a transformed epithelium that mimics esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis due to its highly invasive and metastatic potential. The molecular pathogenesis underlying the invasive mechanism of ESCC is not well known because of the lack of existing models to study this disease. p120-Catenin (p120ctn) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have each been implicated in several cancers, including ESCC. p120ctn is down-regulated in 60% of ESCC tumors, whereas EGFR is the most commonly overexpressed oncogene in ESCC. For these reasons, we investigated the cooperation between p120ctn and EGFR and its effect on ESCC invasion. We show that p120ctn down-regulation is commonly associated with EGFR overexpression. By using a three-dimensional culture system, we demonstrate tha

SUBMITTER: Lehman HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4278242 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature