Alcohol exposure promotes cell communication network 1 cleavage in esophageal adenocarcinoma cells exclusively

Alcohol consumption has been a risk factor for more than 200 diseases, including esophageal cancer. Cell communication network 1 (CCN1), a matricellular protein, is highly expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) but is barely detectable in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Alcohol consumption has been identified as a major contributor to ESCC development, but its role in EAC is uncertain. This study examines the impact of acute (30 min) or prolonged (12 h) alcohol exposure (5, 100, and 500 mM) on CCN1 expression and function in esophageal epithelial cells, including normal (HEEC), ESCC (KYSE150 and KYSE410), and EAC (OE19 and OE33), in association with the activity of MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14. It was found that alcohol exposure promoted CCN1 expression in both normal and tumor cells but induced CCN1 cleavage exclusively in EAC cells, generating an 18-kDa fragment that promotes tumor growth. MMP9, which was active only in EAC cells, was found to mediate this cleavage. Forced activation of MMP9 in either normal or ESCC cells improved cell viability, whereas inhibition of MMP9 in EAC cells attenuated cell survival. Taken together, alcohol exposure promotes MMP9-mediated CCN1 cleavage in EAC, converting CCN1 from a pro-death to a pro-survival factor for EAC. This makes alcohol consumption a risk factor not only for ESCC development but also for EAC progression. A preprint can be found at d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net.