Expression of annexin A1 protein in esophageal carcinoma and its clinical significance

Abstract

Objective To investigate the biological role of Annexin A1 protein in carcinogenesis and progression of esophageal carcinoma. Methods Annexin A1 protein level was analyzed by immunohistochemical assay in 94 cases of esophageal squamous carcinoma tissues and surrounding normal tissues. Annexin A1 overexpression and knockdown stable cell lines in human immortalized esophageal epithelial cell line SHEE were constructed by lentivirus. Cell proliferation of Annexin A1 overexpression and knockdown stable cell lines were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Cell invasion ability of Annexin A1 overexpression and knockdown stable cell lines were analyzed by transwell method. Cell colony forming ability in stable cell lines was analyzed by soft agar assay. Tumor formation in mice was analyzed by cell transplantation. Results Compared with the normal esophageal tissues, the expression levels of Annexin A1 protein in esophageal cancer tissues increased significantly (P=0.004). Compared with the control cell lines, proliferation (P=0.026) and invasion (P=0.017) ability in Annexin A1 protein overexpression cell lines significantly increased, while in the Annexin A1 protein knockdown cell lines, cell proliferation (P=0.019) and invasion (P=0.023) ability significantly decreased. Compared with the control cell lines, the clonal formation ability of Annexin A1 overexpression cell lines significantly enhanced(P=0.022), while the ability of clones formation in Annexin A1 protein knockdown cell line significantly decreased (P=0.035). In vivo tumor formation test showed that the tumor formation rate in Annexin A1 protein overexpressing cell lines significantly increased compared with control cell lines (P=0.001). Conclusion Annexin A1 protein overexpressed in esophageal carcinoma tissues, which was involved in the growth, invasion and tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer cells. Key words: Annexin A1 protein; Esophageal carcinoma; Proliferation; Invasion; Tumorigenesis