Expression of BAG-1 is closely related to cell differentiation and TNM stage in esophageal cancer and its downregulation inhibits the proliferation and invasion of human esophageal carcinoma cells.

The aim of the present study was to explore the correlation of BAG-1 with clinical characteristics of esophageal cancer and its effects on the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of the esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca109. Therefore, the expression of BAG-1 was assessed in esophageal carcinoma tumor tissues and adjacent normal esophageal tissues. The siRNA vector of BAG-1 was constructed and transfected into the Eca109 cell line, and then fluorescence microscopy was used to evaluate the transfection efficiency. MTT and Transwell assays were used to study cell proliferation and invasive activity, and the apoptosis rate was assessed by flow cytometry. Western blotting was adopted to assess the silencing efficiency and expression of related gene bcl-2. The results revealed that BAG-1 expression was low in the adjacent normal esophageal tissues while expression was high in the esophageal carcinoma tissues. After Eca109 cells were transfected with BAG-1-siRNA, the proliferation and invasive capabilities of the cells were significantly decreased while the apoptosis rate was greatly enhanced (P<0.01). When the expression of BAG-1 in the Eca109 cells was downregulated, the expression of bcl-2 was significantly abated (P<0.05). In conclusion, BAG-1 is closely connected with the pathogenesis and development of esophageal carcinoma, which may act through affecting bcl-2.