• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PRESSLED

Your Leading News Source

PRESSLED
Your Leading News Source

  • Home
  • BUSINESS
  • MONEY
  • POLITICS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • US
  • Meet the Reporters
  • About/Contact

Esophage cancer: Discovery of the mechanisms involved

May 14, 2021 by Staff Reporter

Metaplasia is defined as the replacement of a fully differentiated cell type by another. There are several classical examples of metaplasia, one of the most frequent is called Barrett’s oesophagus. Barrett’s oesophagus is characterized by the replacement of the keratinocytes by columnar cells in the lower oesophagus upon chronic acid reflux. This metaplasia is considered a precancerous lesion that increases by around 50 times the risk of this oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Nonetheless, the mechanisms involved in the development of metaplasia in the oesophagus are still partially unknown.

In a new study published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers led by Mr. Benjamin Beck, (FNRS research associate and WELBIO investigator at the IRIBHM, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium), report the mechanisms involved in the transdifferentiation of oesophageal keratinocytes into columnar cells.

Alizée Vercauteren Drubbel and colleagues used state-of-the-art genetic tools and mouse models to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which cells from the oesophagus can participate to metaplasia. In collaboration with Prof. Sachiyo Nomura (Tokyo Medical University, Japan), they demonstrated that the reactivation of the Hedgehog pathway occurs in epithelial cells upon chronic acid reflux. The sole reactivation of this pathway in normal oesophageal cells changes them and make them look like embryonic oesophageal cells. Subsequently, a subset of these cells is converted into columnar cells. “It was really surprising to see the cells from the oesophagus slowly changing over time and getting features of other tissues just by activating a signaling pathway in vivo” comments Alizée Vercauteren Drubbel, the first author of this study.

The authors demonstrate that the hedgehog pathway alters the squamous differentiation program in virtually all the oesophageal cells but induces a full squamous-to-columnar conversion in a subset of progenitors only. Interestingly, an embryonic-like epigenetic and transcriptomic program precedes the columnar conversion, suggesting that keratinocytes need to be dedifferentiated before activating another differentiation program. Conditional knockout in vivo demonstrates that the transcription factor Sox9 plays a pivotal role in the process of columnar conversion.

In conclusion, this work highlights mechanisms modulating cellular plasticity that may constitute the very first step of transdifferentiation and metaplasia development in the oesophagus. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma incidence has dramatically increased over the past decades. This increase appears to be a result of the increased prevalence of Barrett’s oesophagus. Hence, “we hope that a better understanding of the processes involved in the development of metaplasia and their progression into cancer will help detecting people with a high risk of developing cancer.” comments Benjamin Beck, the last and corresponding author of this study.

###

This work was supported by the FNRS, the Worldwide cancer research, Fondation Contre le Cancer and the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Alizée Vercauteren Drubbel was supported by the Télévie and Benjamin Beck is an investigator of WELBIO at Université libre de Bruxelles.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Originally Appeared On: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uldb-ecd042121.php

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

More to See

Why does campfire smoke follow you? The science behind it

With the long weekend upon us, Canadians will likely spend the next few days out at the lake or in their backyards, gathered around a … [Read More...] about Why does campfire smoke follow you? The science behind it

Kotak Securities Announces investment in Fintech Startup Multipl; All You Need to Know

Kotak Securities Limited (KSL) has announced an investment in fintech startup Multipl as part of the company’s $3 million Pre-Series A round of … [Read More...] about Kotak Securities Announces investment in Fintech Startup Multipl; All You Need to Know

Shawnee Pools business staying in the family

SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — Bob and Connie Sutherland have been in the swimming pool business for 53 years, and it all started from an ad in the … [Read More...] about Shawnee Pools business staying in the family

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About/ Contact
Copyright © 2022 · PRESSLED · As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT