Carcinogen 4-Nitroquinoline Oxide (4-NQO) Induces Oncostatin-M (OSM) in Esophageal Cells

Background/aim: The earliest cellular and molecular biologic changes in the esophagus that lead to esophageal Cancer were evaluated in a mouse model. We correlated numbers of senescent cells with the levels of expression of potentially carcinogenic genes in sorted side population (SP) cells containing esophageal stem cells and non-stem cells in the non-side population cells in the 4-nitroquinolone oxide (NQO)-treated esophagus.

Materials and methods: We compared stem cells with non-stem cells from the esophagus of mice treated with the chemical carcinogen 4-NQO (100 μg/ml) in drinking water. We also compared gene expression in human esophagus samples treated with 4-NQO (100 μg/ml media) to non-treated samples. We separated and quantitated the relative levels of expression of RNA using RNAseq analysis. We identified senescent cells by luciferase imaging of p16^+/LUC mice and senescent cells in excised esophagus from tdTOMp16+ mice.

Results: A significant increase in the levels of RNA for oncostatin-M was found in senescent cells of the esophagus from 4-NQO-treated mice and human esophagus in vitro.

Conclusion: Induction of OSM in chemically-induced esophageal Cancer in mice correlates with the appearance of senescent cells.

4-nitroquinoline oxide; Esophageal cancer; esophageal stem cell; stem cell sorting.