Congenital esophageal atresia is one of the serious birth defects. Identifying the etiology and mechanism of esophageal development can provide clues for the effective prevention and treatment of congenital esophageal atresia. Recent studies have shown that a variety of transcription factors and signaling pathways (including Wnt signaling pathway, bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway, SHH signaling pathway, vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway) are involved in esophageal proliferation, differentiation and other processes, promoting the normal development of esophagus. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms during the normal development of esophagus can give reference for the prevention and treatment of congenital esophageal atresia. This article reviews the research progress on related transcription factors and signaling pathways in esophageal development.
先天性食管闭锁是严重的出生缺陷之一。明确食管发育中的病因及其机制可为有效预防和治疗先天性食管闭锁提供线索。最近研究显示，多种转录因子和信号通路（包括Wnt信号通路、骨形态发生蛋白信号通路、SHH信号通路、血管内皮生长因子信号通路等）形成调节网络，通过时空特异性表达，维持食管的增殖、分化等过程，促进食管的正常发育。正确认识食管正常发育过程中的调控机制对先天性食管闭锁的预防及治疗具有重要的指导意义。本文就影响食管发育的相关转录因子和信号通路研究进展作一综述。