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Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) regulates the proliferation and chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells via regulation of PTEN

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A Correction to this article was published on 15 April 2021

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Abstract

As one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) can be directly exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). As a potential EDC, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) can trigger the development of various cancers, while the potential effect of DEHP on the ESCC progression was not clear. Our present study revealed that DEHP can trigger the proliferation of ESCC cells and decrease the cisplatin (CDDP) and fluorouracil (5-FU) sensitivity. Mechanistical studies indicated that DEHP can decrease the transcription of PTEN, a well-characterized tumor suppressor, in ESCC cells. Over expression of PTEN can reverse DEHP-regulated ESCC cell proliferation and chemosensitivity. Further, DEHP can increase the expression of HES-1, which can bind with the promoter of PTEN to inhibit its transcription. Collectively, DEHP can increase proliferation while decrease chemosensitivity of ESCC cells via regulation of HES-1/PTEN axis. Further, daily expression of DEHP may be a potent risk factor for ESCC development.

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Author notes

  1. Jian Zhu and Xuesong Zhang contributed equally to the work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Jingjiang People’s Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, People’s Republic of China

    Jian Zhu

  2. Department of Central Laboratory, Jingjiang People’s Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, People’s Republic of China

    Xuesong Zhang

  3. Department of Pathology, Jingjiang People’s Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Chen

  4. Department of Oncology, Jingjiang Chinese Medicine Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, People’s Republic of China

    Bin Wen

  5. Department of Bioinformatics, Nantong University Medical School, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People’s Republic of China

    Yuntian Lu

  6. Department of Gastroenterology, East Theater General Hospital of PLA, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210000, People’s Republic of China

    Weijun Xu

Authors
  1. Jian Zhu
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  2. Xuesong Zhang
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  3. Bin Wen
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  4. Jing Chen
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  5. Yuntian Lu
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  6. Weijun Xu
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Contributions

Conception and design: JZ, BW, JC, WX; acquisition of data: JZ, BW, JC, XZ; analysis and interpretation of data: JZ, XZ, YL, WX; writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript: JZ, WX.

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Correspondence to Weijun Xu.

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Zhu, J., Zhang, X., Wen, B. et al. Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) regulates the proliferation and chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells via regulation of PTEN. Human Cell 34, 1153–1162 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13577-021-00519-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13577-021-00519-x

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