Abstract: Objective: To investigate the expression of acetyltransferase KAT2A and the acetylation of Survivin protein in esophageal
cancer tissues. Methods: A total of 60 esophageal cancer patients diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University between
March 2020 and March 2022 were included in this study. Cancer tissues were collected as the observation group, and normal
esophageal epithelial tissues, 8 cm away from the cancer site without cancer invasion, were collected as the control group. The
expression levels of Survivin and KAT2A, as well as the acetylation level of Survivin protein, were measured and compared between the
groups. The correlation between Survivin protein acetylation and KAT2A expression was also analyzed. Results: The relative
expression levels of Survivin mRNA and KAT2A mRNA, the expression levels of Survivin protein and KAT2A protein, and the
acetylation rate of Survivin in the observation group were all significantly higher than those in the control group, and the differences
were statistically significant（ P<0.01）. There was a significant positive correlation between Survivin acetylation and KAT2A expression
in esophageal cancer （r=0.543）. Significant differences were found in the positive rates of Survivin acetylation and KAT2A expression
among patients with different stages, different degrees of differentiation, and with or without lymph node metastasis （P<0.05）.
Conclusion: KAT2A is involved in the acetylation modification of Survivin protein in patients with esophageal cancer, and the high
expression of KAT2A may be an early molecular event in the acetylation modification of Survivin protein.

Key words: acetyltransferase, KAT2A, Survivin, protein acetylation, esophageal cancer