Aberrant Changes of Wnt2/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway Induced by Sodium Nitroprusside in Human Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines

ABSTRACT

Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin pathway is an attractive method for therapy of various tumors including breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer, etc. However, little is known about the role of Wnt2/β-catenin pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here we identify that Wnt2/β-catenin signaling pathway is activated in ESCC cells, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and siRNA against β-catenin not only inhibit the expressions of β-catenin and its major downstream effectors including c-myc and cyclin D1, but induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, suggesting that Wnt2/β-catenin pathway may be a potential molecular target for ESCC therapy.

Keywords: :

• Wnt2/β-catenin
• Sodium nitroprusside
• siRNA
• Apoptosis
• Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by the grants from Special Foundation for Training of Doctoral Students from Institutions of Higher Learning, Ministry of Education of P.R. China (No. 20050459007).