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Mutational Analysis of the PTEN Gene and Its Effects in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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Abstract

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in China, but the etiology and mode of carcinogenesis of this disease remain poorly understood. The phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN) with putative tumor suppressing is frequently mutated in many cancers.

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there exists a mutation in the PTEN gene of the ESCC cells, and the effects of the wild type and mutated PTEN genes on the proliferation and apoptosis of the ESCC cells.

Methods

The wild type and mutated PTEN genes were cloned from human placenta and ESCC cells, respectively, and their effects on the proliferation and apoptosis of the ESCC cells were investigated. Also, the relationship between the PTEN gene status and sensitivity of the EC9706 cells to cisplatin was determined in the xenografts of nude mice.

Results

There were mutations in the PTEN gene from ESCC cells. The proliferation of the EC9706 cells was clearly inhibited by the wild type PTEN gene, but not by the mutated PTEN gene in vitro. Furthermore, the wild type PTEN gene inhibited the growth of transplantable tumor, induced cell apoptosis, and improved the sensitivity of the EC9706 cells to cisplatin in vivo.

Conclusion

The findings of the present study demonstrate that there are mutations in the PTEN gene of the ESCC cells and that the wild type PTEN gene has important effects on the ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30901778), Fund for Introduced Talented Persons of Zhengzhou University, and the “211 Project” of the 10th Five-Year Plan (Education Ministry of China, 2002-2).

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China

    Guiqin Hou & Hongmin Liu

  2. Institute of Tumor Molecular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, 40 Daxue Road, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China

    Zhaoming Lu & Lexun Xue

  3. People’s Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, China

    Mingyue Liu

Authors
  1. Guiqin Hou
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  2. Zhaoming Lu
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  3. Mingyue Liu
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  4. Hongmin Liu
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  5. Lexun Xue
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Correspondence to Hongmin Liu or Lexun Xue.

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Hou, G., Lu, Z., Liu, M. et al. Mutational Analysis of the PTEN Gene and Its Effects in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Dig Dis Sci 56, 1315–1322 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-010-1474-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-010-1474-0

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