Gene expression profile analysis for the Fascin knockdown esophageal squamous carcinoma cells

Fascin, an actin-binding protein, is upregulated in a variety of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and is proposed to function in cellular growth, mobility and invasiveness. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanisms through which fascin expression contributes to the proliferation and invasiveness of ESCC are unknown. To address this issue and to identify genes and biological pathways associated with fascin expression, a genome-wide gene expression analysis was performed on a fascin RNAi-depleted cell line and a corresponding ESCC cell line previously determined to express high levels of fascin. Keywords: cell type comparison We used cDNA microarrays to identify genes that were differentially expressed upon fascin knockdown. For this purpose, we selected PSF8 (Fascin siRNA-depleted cell) and PSC(blank vector control cell ), two ESCC cell lines recently established in our laboratory. Total RNA from PSF8 cells and PSC cells was prepared for use with Affymetrix U133 cDNA microarrays.