Data from Synergistic Function of Smad4 and PTEN in Suppressing Forestomach Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Mice

The study investigates the genetic basis of esophageal tumorigenesis by examining the effects of deleting the Smad4 and PTEN genes in mice. The simultaneous inactivation of these genes led to accelerated hair loss, skin tumor formation, and spontaneous forestomach carcinogenesis, with all tumors being invasive squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) within the first 2 months of age. Some SCC lesions were accompanied by adenocarcinomas in adjacent submucosa regions. The rapid tumor progression was linked to increased epithelial proliferation and decreased expression of cell cycle inhibitors (p27, p21, p16) along with overexpression of cyclin D1. The findings highlight the synergistic role of Smad4 and PTEN in suppressing forestomach tumorigenesis by inducing cell cycle inhibitors.