Characterization of candidate genes influencing migration, invasion and metastasis in genetically generated oral-esophageal cancer cells

Abstract

Introduction: The ability of a tumor cell to migrate across the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a prerequisite for metastasis. In our cellular model of human oral-esophageal carcinogenesis we were able to recapitulate tumor development in a stepwise fashion. Cyclin D1 overexpression and p53 inactivation led to immortalization, additional EGFR overexpression induced an in vitro transformed phenotype, whereas additional c-myc overexpression resulted in invasive cancer cells. To study the ability of these different cells to migrate, we analyzed the expression and localization of different candidates thought to be involved in tumor invasion and metastasis: 1. Collagen XVII, a hemidesmosomal epithelial adhesion protein, 2. E-Cadherin, a cell adhesion molecule of adherens junctions, 3. the cell surface protein CD24 and 4. the lysosomal cysteine protease Cathepsin.