Abstract 2734: Residual embryonic cells as precursors of a Barrett's-like metaplasia.

Abstract

Abstract Barrett's esophagus is an intestine-like metaplasia and precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Trig- gered by gastroesophageal reflux disease, the origin of this metaplasia remains unknown. p63-deficient mice, which lack squamous epithelia, may model acid-reflux damage. We show here that p63 null embryos rapidly develop intestine-like metaplasia with gene expression profiles similar to Barrett's metaplasia. We track its source to a unique embry- onic epithelium that is normally undermined and re- placed by p63-expressing cells. Significantly, we show that a discrete population of these embryonic cells persists in adult mice and humans at the squa- mocolumnar junction, the source of Barrett's meta- plasia. We show that upon programmed damage to the squamous epithelium, these embryonic cells migrate toward adjacent, specialized squamous cells in a process that may recapitulate early Barrett's. Our findings suggest that certain precancerous lesions, such as Barrett's, initiate not from genetic alterations but from competitive interactions between cell lineages driven by opportunity. Citation Format: Xia Wang. Residual embryonic cells as precursors of a Barrett's-like metaplasia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2734. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2734