Alena Klochkova, Adam L Karami, Annie D Fuller, Louis R Parham, Surali R Panchani, Shruthi Natarajan, Jazmyne L Jackson, Anbin Mu, Yinfei Tan, Kathy Q Cai, Andres J Klein-Szanto, Amanda B Muir, Marie-Pier Tétreault, Xavier Graña, Kathryn E Hamilton, Kelly A Whelan
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Autophagy plays roles in esophageal pathologies both benign and malignant. Here, we aim to define the role of autophagy in esophageal epithelial homeostasis. METHODS: We generated tamoxifen-inducible, squamous epithelial-specific Atg7 (autophagy related 7) conditional knockout mice to evaluate effects on esophageal homeostasis and response to the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) using histological and biochemical analyses. We FACS sorted esophageal basal cells based upon fluorescence of the autophagic vesicle (AV)-identifying dye Cyto-ID, then subjected these cells to transmission electron microscopy, image flow cytometry, 3D organoid assays, RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq), and cell cycle analysis...
March 5, 2024: Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology