Role of the Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 in cell cycle progression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Figure 2 Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl^- cotransporter 1 protein expression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. A: Immunohistochemical staining of human esophageal epithelia with an Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl^- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) antibody. Cells with NKCC1 expression were primarily confined to the lower and middle layers of the squamous epithelium with the exception of the basal and parabasal cell layers; B: Immunohistochemical staining of well differentiated, moderately differentiated, or poorly differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumor samples with high or low grade NKCC1 expression (magnification: × 200); C: NKCC1 staining scores according to the differentiation type of SCC. Mean ± SEM. Well differentiated ESCC; n = 15. Moderately differentiated ESCC; n = 31. Poorly differentiated ESCC; n = 22. ^aP < 0.05 vs control, Tukey-Kramer HSD test.