Altered gap junctional intercellular communication in neoplastic rat esophageal epithelial cells. Carcinogenesis 1997 Jun;18(6):1149-53
Date
06/01/1997Pubmed ID
9214596DOI
10.1093/carcin/18.6.1149Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0031408814 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 18 CitationsAbstract
Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is reduced in many neoplastic cells, but few data exist for esophageal neoplasms. GJIC was examined by fluorescent dye microinjection in two nontumorigenic and two highly tumorigenic rat esophageal epithelial cell lines. All lines expressed high levels of dye coupling in homologous cell culture. In cocultures of nontumorigenic and tumorigenic cells, however, only one of six cell combinations displayed significant heterologous GJIC. Northern, Western, and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that all four cell lines expressed comparable levels of connexin43 (Cx43), but not connexin32 or connexin26, and formed Cx43-containing gap junction plaques at cell-cell interfaces. Immunostaining of rat esophageal frozen sections demonstrated that esophageal epithelial cells expressed Cx43 in vivo. In normal epithelium, the highest expression was seen in the basal cells and little suprabasal staining was evident. In preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the esophageal epithelium which were induced by treating rats with N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine, Cx43 staining of the basal layer was also seen but appeared to be more diffuse compared to normal epithelium. In addition, suprabasal Cx43 staining was apparent in dysplastic and papillomatous lesions. These results indicate that Cx43 is expressed in normal and neoplastic rat esophageal cells and that the cells exhibit extensive homologous GJIC, but little heterologous GJIC. This lack of heterologous GJIC may be due to differences in cell adhesion proteins or other factors.
Author List
Garber SA, Fernstrom MJ, Stoner GD, Ruch RJMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsCarcinogens
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Cell Communication
Cell Line
Connexin 43
Connexins
Dimethylnitrosamine
Epithelial Cells
Epithelium
Esophageal Neoplasms
Esophagus
Gap Junctions
Immunohistochemistry
Precancerous Conditions
Rats
Tumor Cells, Cultured
