ABSTRACT
Aim To investigate the role of phospho-lipase C epsilon 1 ( PLCE1 ) in modulating the apoptot-ic mechanism in esophageal cancer ( Eca ) cells. Methods Eca cell lines, OE33 and CP-C cells were cultured to assess the expression of PLCE1 . siRNA suppress expression of PLCE1 . The expression of PLCE1 and p53 was evaluated by quantitative real time PCR and Western blot. Methylation analyses of p53 were performed by bisulfite conversion of genomic DNA. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Results OE33 and CP-C cells expressed high levels of PLCE1 . Knockdown of PLCE1 markedly increased the expression and hypomethylation of p53 , and in-creased the frequency of apoptosis. Conclusion PLCE1 suppresses apoptosis of Eca cells via promoting p53 promoter methylation and inhibiting expression of p53 .