title: Alterations in expression, proteolysis and intracellular localizations of clusterin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate biogenesis and intracellular localizations of clusterin to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms implicated in tumorigenesis of esophageal mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-quantitative RT-PCR for multi-region alteration analysis, Western blot for different transcriptional forms and immunohistochemical staining for intracellular localizations of clusterin were carried out in both tissues and cell lines of ESCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The N-terminal deletions of the clusterin gene and the appearance of a 50-53 ku nuclear clusterin, an uncleaved, nonglycosylated, and disulfide-linked isoform, were the major alterations in cancer cells of esophagus. Naturally the 40 ku clusterin was located in the connective tissue of the lamina propria of epithelial mucosa and right under the basal membrane of epithelia, but it was disappeared in stromal mucosa of esophagus and the pre-matured clusterin was found positive in cancerous epithelia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The N-terminal deletion of clusterin may be essential for its alterations of biogenesis in ESCC.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Zhi
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhen-Mei
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Liang-Hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: You-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Shang-Zhong
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiao-Hang
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D051152:Clusterin; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495242:CLU protein, human; D051152:Clusterin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones