Studies On The Expression, Structure And Function Of The Protein Encoded By Esophageal Cancer Related Gene-1

Many tumor suppresser genes and oncogenes are involved in the initiation and development of esophageal cancer (EC). However, no gene directly associated with EC has been found, In recent years, in order to find novel gene related to EC four differential fragments were isolated and cloned by the effective technique of mRNA differential display with comparing the differential gene expression between normal esophageal epithelia and EC. The four fragments were found no remarkable similarity to the known sequence in homology analysis with the public data of GenBank. These four fragments may represent novel genes. The full-length of one sequence was obtained by the technique of 5'-RCAE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends) . The sequence was assigned as esophageal cancer related gene-1 (ECRG-1). The aim of this thesis is to explore the structure and function of ECRG-1 gene. The results are as follow:1. The structure and function of the protein encoded by ECRG-1 gene was primarily predicted by bioinfonnatics. The result shows the protein is a transmembrane protein that has remarkable similarity to serine protease. The molecular weight of the protein encoded by ECRG-1 gene was about 45 kD. The function may play an essential role in cell growth and maintenance of cell...