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Molecular and cellular features of esophageal cancer cells

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Abstract

More than 70 cell lines were established from esophageal cancer, including 15 TE-series cell lines established by the authors. This article reviews molecular and cellular features of esophageal cancer cells from studies using these cell lines as well as primary tumors. The subjects reviewed include primary cultures of normal epithelium of the esophagus and of esophageal tumors, their growth and differentiation properties, chromosomal aberrations, protein kinase C, growth factors and their receptors, oncogenes, and tumor-suppressor genes. Lesions of genetic loci in esophageal cancer include the absence of mutations inras genes in primary tumors, amplification and overexpression of the c-erbB gene, co-amplification ofhst-1 andint-2 genes, mutations, and allelic loss of tumor suppressor genes, p53, Rb, APC, and MCC. Future clinical improvement will be achieved on the basis of the understanding of molecular and cellular features of esophageal cancer cells.

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Abbreviations

PKC:

protein kinase C

PCR:

polymerase chain reaction

O6-MedG:

O6-methyldeoxyguanosine

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The “Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology” publishes in loose succession “Editorials” and “Guest editorials” on current and/or controversial problems in experimental and clinical oncology. These contributions represent exclusively the personal opinion of the author The Editors

This work was supported by grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (1978–1982) and the Ministry of Education (1991)

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Nishihira, T., Hashimoto, Y., Katayama, M. et al. Molecular and cellular features of esophageal cancer cells. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 119, 441–449 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01215923

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