Malignant Progression in O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase-Deficient Esophageal Cancer Cells Is Associated with Ezrin Protein

The abnormal function of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is reported to be associated with the occurrence of various tumors and malignant tumor progression. However, little evidence is available to describe its role in esophageal carcinogenesis. To address this issue, we constructed a stable MGMT-silenced esophageal cancer cell line by RNA interference, and exposed the cells to N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) to investigate the role that MGMT plays in toxicity. During this time, we also observed the malignant behavior of cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to detect and confirm the proteins that were differentially expressed in the MGMT-deficient and MGMT-proficient cells, which might be responsible for the malignant alteration of cells. Results showed that the IC50 of MGMT-deficient and MGMT-proficient cells exposed to MNNG was 30 μM and 65 μM, respectively, and MGMT-deficient cells had more aggressive motility ...