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Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Development of Compendium for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 12, 2024
Targeting the overexpressed CREB inhibits esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell growth
Ping Chen1, Miaomiao Li1, Qianyun Hao1
1College of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Cancer Chemoprevention, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Although several studies highlight the important role of cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) in tumor progression, little is known concerning the expression and function of CREB in esophageal cancer. In the present study, the expression of CREB was evaluated using a human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissue array by immunohistochemical analysis, which was confirmed by western blot analysis of tissues from esophageal cancer, and adjacent esophageal tissue. The role of CREB on esophageal cancer cell growth was analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that CREB was overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas tissues, which was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage of esophageal cancer patients. Downregulating the expression of CREB effectively reduced esophageal cell growth in vitro and in vivo, induced S phase cell cycle arrest, triggered apoptosis and inhibited cell migration and invasion. These findings suggested CREB as an attractive drug target for esophageal cancer.
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