title: Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was expressed in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting, immunohistoc-hemistry and immunofluorescence were used to assess the expression level of COX-2 in esophageal tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  COX-2 mRNA levels were increased by >80-fold in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma when compared to adjacent noncancerous tissue. COX-2 protein was present in 21 of 30 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues, but was undetectable in noncancerous tissue. Immunohistochemistry was performed to directly show expression of COX-2 in tumor tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that COX-2 may be an important factor for esophageal cancer and inhibition of COX-2 may be helpful for prevention and possibly treatment of this cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Gene Therapy Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. dwwang@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Jian-Gang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jiang-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Chun-Lian
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bao-Xing
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiang-Ning
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Zhi-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cianflone
authors.forename: Michael-P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Waalkes
authors.forename: Dao-Wen
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases