The squamous epithelium of the normal human esophagus follows a similar differentiation pattern compared to the normal epidermis except that different keratins are expressed. To better understand homeostasis in the normal esophagus the lab is overexpressing growth factors and disrupt/activate receptorfunction in either fibroblasts or esophageal keratinocytes. This is done by embedding the stromal cells in a three-dimensional collagen matrix and exposing overlayed keratinocytes to air to allow multi-layer formation and differentiation. The lab tests the hypothesis that continuous activation of keratinocytes through the local production of growth factors can induce a transformed phenotype. The lab hypothesizes that the EGF and TGF-ß receptor systems are dominant for maintaining the homeostatic balance in the normal esophageal mucosa and their dysfunction is critical for tumor development and progression and that fibroblasts and endothelial cells are recruited during tumor progression from the bone marrow stem cell pool.
Andl et al 2003.
