title: CRCT1 regulated by microRNA-520 g inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell cancer.
abstract: Cysteine-rich C-terminal 1 (CRCT1) is encoded by the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC), a gene cluster that was recently linked to esophageal cancer. However, the role of CRCT1 in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, we show that CRCT1 is downregulated in ESCC in association with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Restoring CRCT1 in ESCC cells by lentivirus-mediated gene transfer inhibited cell proliferation and xenograft tumor formation. CRCT1 overexpression promoted ESCC cell apoptosis and upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. CRCT1 expression was inversely correlated with the levels of microRNA-520 g (miR-520 g) in ESCC tissues, and CRCT1 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-520 g in ESCC cells. Consistent with the effects of CRCT1 overexpression, knockdown of miR-520 g inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in ESCC cells. Our results suggest that CRCT1 functions as a tumor suppressor gene in ESCC and is regulated by miR-520 g, providing potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of ESCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Liewen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China. czm_md@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhiming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C428808:CRCT1 protein, human; C575048:MIRN520 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011506:Proteins
keywords: Cell apoptosis; Cell proliferation; Cysteine-rich C-terminal 1; Esophageal squamous cell cancer; microRNA-520 g