Article
Author: Li, Yaxin ; Zou, Yang ; Wan, Xudong ; Wang, Manli ; Xiong, Xingyu ; Hu, Bing ; Guo, Linjie ; Lin, Huahang ; Chen, Longqi ; Liu, Hongyu ; Zhang, Shiyu ; Chen, Xuelan ; Chen, Chong ; Lu, Zhenghao ; Na, Feifei ; Wang, Jian ; Zhou, Jianfeng ; Lu, Runda ; Dai, Siqi ; Du, Jiajia ; Liu, Yixin ; Li, Yuan ; Wang, Yingjie ; Zhang, Qi ; Zhang, Mengsha ; Pan, Xiangyu ; Liu, Yu ; Luo, Xiangmeng ; Wang, Lu ; Tan, Ping ; Wu, Baohong ; Zhong, Ailing ; Han, Zongkai
Genomics studies have detected numerous genetic alterations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the functions of these mutations largely remain elusive, partially due to a lack of feasible animal models. Here, we report a convenient platform with CRISPR-Cas9-mediated introduction of genetic alterations and orthotopic transplantation to generate a series of primary ESCC models in mice. With this platform, we validate multiple frequently mutated genes, including EP300, FAT1/2/4, KMT2D, NOTCH2, and TGFBR2, as tumor-suppressor genes in ESCC. Among them, TGFBR2 loss dramatically promotes tumorigenesis and multi-organ metastasis. Paradoxically, TGFBR2 deficiency leads to Smad3 activation, and disruption of Smad3 partially restrains the progression of Tgfbr2-mutated tumors. Drug screening with tumor organoids identifies that pinaverium bromide represses Smad3 activity and restrains Tgfbr2-deficient ESCC. Our studies provide a highly efficient platform to investigate the in vivo functions of ESCC-associated mutations and develop potential treatments for this miserable malignancy.