title: Genetic alterations in a telomerase-immortalized human esophageal epithelial cell line: implications for carcinogenesis.
abstract: Ectopic expression of viral oncoproteins disrupts cellular functions and limits the value of many existing immortalization models as models for carcinogenesis, especially for cancers without definitive viral etiology. Our newly established telomerase-immortalized human esophageal epithelial cell line, NE2-hTERT, retained nearly-diploid and non-tumorigenic characteristics, but exhibited genetic and genomic alterations commonly found in esophageal cancer, including progressive loss of the p16(INK4a) alleles, upregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, whole-chromosome 7 gain and duplicated 5q arm. Our data also revealed a novel positive regulation of p16(INK4a) on cyclin D1. These findings probably represent early crucial events and mechanisms in esophageal carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Biology Group, Department of Anatomy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Pak Yan
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Man
authors.forename: Wan Wai
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Gopesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Sai Wah
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Annie L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000235:genetics; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D050687:E2F1 Transcription Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D032681:Spectral Karyotyping; D019098:Telomerase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D050687:E2F1 Transcription Factor; C493753:E2F1 protein, human; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase