Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
Decreased expression of CD63 tetraspanin protein predicts elevated malignant potential in human esophageal cancer
Xiaojing Lai1, Qing Gu1, Xia Zhou1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology (Lung and Esophagus), Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Zhejiang Cancer Research Institute), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, P.R. China.
Abstract:
The tetraspanin CD63 has been described to have critical roles in multiple biological processes, including tumorigenesis and metastasis in several types of cancer. However, its role in esophageal carcinoma (EC) has not been reported. In the current study, immunohistochemistry was used to investigate CD63 expression in 106 esophageal cancer samples, 49 adjacent esophagus tissues and 17 normal esophagus mucosa tissues. The results revealed that the overexpression of CD63 was observed in esophageal cancer samples and negatively correlated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis. To further evaluate the role of CD63 in esophageal carcinoma, the invasiveness of EC cells was analyzed using matrigel invasion assays and wound healing assays in vitro. Furthermore, it was found that CD63 knockdown increased the invasiveness of TE-1 cells through the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression via promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The current data therefore suggested that low levels of CD63 expression may be involved in the tumor progression of esophageal carcinoma.
