Increased expression of Cathepsin B in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Previously, an in vitro cellular carcinogenesis model of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was established with a line of human immortalized oral epithelial cells (HIOECs), a line of cancerous HB96 cells and another type of cell (HB56 cells) at the early stage of carcinogenesis. In this study, comparative proteomic analysis identified a panel of differentially expressed proteins among these cells. Cathepsin B was one of the significantly up-regulated proteins accompanying cellular transformation. Cathepsin B was further validated for its expression in the three cell lines and in clinical samples of tumour tissues and their adjacent normal epithelia from 30 primary OSCC patients. Western blot analysis and real-time PCR detected increased Cathepsin B protein and mRNA levels in the cancerous HB56 and HB96 cells over HIOECs. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR showed elevated Cathepsin B protein and mRNA levels in the tumour tissues over the adjacent non-malignant epithelia from OSCC patients. The results presented here suggest that the expression of Cathepsin B increases along with the cancerisation in OSCC both in vitro and in vivo, and it may serve as a candidate biomarker of OSCC.     

Overexpression of cytokeratin 17 protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo

Objective:  To determine the cytokeratin 17 (CK17) expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) both in vitro and in vivo .
Methods:  Comparative proteomic analysis of an in vitro cellular carcinogenesis model of OSCC (including a line of human immortalized oral epithelia cells (HIOECs), a line of cancerous HB96 cells and another kind of cells (HB56 cells) at the early stage of carcinogenesis was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins. CK17 was further validated in vitro (cellular carcinogenesis model and other three OSCC lines) and in vivo (tissues from six healthy persons and 30 primary OSCC patients) by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry respectively.
Results:  Increased CK17 expression was identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography–tandem mass chromatography in the HB56 and HB96 cells over HIOECs. Western blotting confirmed the increased CK17 expression in the HB56, HB96 cells and other three OSCC lines. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the increased CK17 expression in the cancerous tissues from OSCC patients compared with the paired adjacent non-malignant epithelia.
Conclusion:  Increased CK17 expression may play an important role in the carcinogenesis progression of OSCC; however, further studies on the molecular function of CK17 are encouraged to clear the precise mechanism of CK17 in OSCC.     

Increased expression of Annexin A2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Previously, in vitro cellular carcinogenesis model of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was established with a line of human immortalized oral epithelia cells (HIOECs), a line of cancerous HB96 cells, and another kind of cells (HB56 cells) at the early stage of carcinogenesis. In this study, comparative proteomic analysis identified a panel of differentially expressed proteins among these cells, and Annexin A2 shown as one of the significantly up-regulated proteins accompanying cellular transformation. Annexin A2 was further validated for its expression in the three kinds of cells and in the clinical samples of tumour tissues and their adjacent normal epithelia from primary OSCC patients. Western blot analysis and real-time PCR detected increased Annexin A2 protein and mRNA levels in cancerous HB56 and HB96 cells over HIOECs. Immunohistochemistry showed elevated Annexin A2 protein expression in tumour tissues over the adjacent non-malignant epithelia from OSCC patients; however, the mRNA levels between tumour and normal tissues did not change significantly. Interestingly, levels of Annexin A2 protein expression negatively correlated with the tumour differentiation grades. The results presented here suggest that Annexin A2 protein may play important roles in carcinogenesis of OSCC, and it may also serve as a candidate biomarker for pathologic differentiation grade of OSCC.     

miR‐181 as a putative biomarker for lymph‐node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2011) 40 : 397–404 Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an important malignant disease around the world. Aberrant expression of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) has been implicated in carcinogenesis of various cancers. In previous studies, up‐regulation of miR‐181 was observed when OSCC progressed from leukoplakia, dysplasia to invasive carcinoma. However, the function of miR‐181 in oral tumorigenesis remains unclear. Materials and methods: The expression levels of miR‐181 in the tissue and plasma of OSCC patients were measured by quantitative RT‐PCR. The correlation between miR‐181 level and multiple clinical variables were then checked by Mann–Whitney test and Wilcoxon matched pairs test. To study the functional meaning of up‐regulated miR‐181, migration assay and invasion assay by transwells and colony forming assay were applied to analyze the tumorigenic phenotypes of OSCC cells with ectopical expression of miR‐181. Results: Among different clinical variables, over‐expression of miR‐181 was correlated with lymph‐node metastasis, vascular invasion, and a poor survival. Functional assays revealed ectopically over‐expressed miR‐181 would enhance cell migration and invasion, but not the ability of anchorage‐independent growth of OSCC cells. In addition, the up‐regulation of miR‐181 could be detected both in tumor tissues and plasma. Conclusion: miR‐181 may enhance lymph‐node metastasis through regulating migration, which could potentially be exploited as a putative biomarker for patients with OSCC.     

Decreased expression of Annexin A1 correlates with pathologic differentiation grade in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Previously, we established an in vitro cellular carcinogenesis model of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), including the human immortalized oral epithelia cells (HIOECs) and its derived cancerous HB96 cells. In this study, comparative proteomic analysis identified that Annexin A1 was one of the significantly down-regulated genes in the cancerous HB96 cells. To investigate Annexin A1 down-regulation and its potential usefulness as a molecular marker in OSCC, we further screened Annexin A1 expressions with a panel of OSCC lines, and clinical samples of cancerous and the paired adjacent normal tissues from primary OSCC patients. By Western blot analysis and real-time PCR, we showed that both Annexin A1 mRNA and protein expressions decreased in OSCC cell lines except in two cell lines for the mRNA levels. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR also showed that both Annexin A1 mRNA and protein expressions decreased in the cancerous tissues from OSCC patients compared with those in the paired adjacent non-malignant epithelia. More importantly, both Annexin A1 mRNA and protein expressions negatively correlated with the pathologic differentiation grades of cancerous tissues. The lower Annexin A1 mRNA or protein expressions correlated with the poorer pathologic differentiation grades. These results suggest that decreased expression of Annexin A1 contributes to the cancerous progression of OSCC, and Annexin A1 may be a potential biomarker for pathologic differentiation grade of OSCC.     

组织蛋白酶B在口腔黏膜上皮癌变过程中的表达及意义

目的：探讨组织蛋白酶B（Cathepsin B,CB）在口腔鳞状细胞癌中的表达及临床意义。方法：以口腔黏膜上皮永生化细胞系（human immortalized oral epithelia cell line,HIOEC）及经过苯丙芘[benzo（a）pyrene,B（a）P]诱导产生鳞状细胞癌细胞（HB）而形成的口腔鳞癌体外癌变模型为研究对象,通过双向凝胶电泳（2-DE）和质谱分析（LC-MS/MS）筛选和鉴定出差异蛋白质CB。采用实时定量PCR、Western印迹和免疫组化方法,检测口腔鳞癌细胞和30例原发口腔鳞癌标本中的mRNA及蛋白质表达水平。采用SPSS10.0软件包对数据进行非参数检验。结果：与永生化HIOEC相比,HB和CAL27细胞中CB的mRNA水平显著升高,HB、Tca8113、TSCC、CAL27和OSC细胞中CB蛋白表达水平明显升高。30例口腔鳞癌患者癌组织中CB的mRNA和蛋白表达水平均较癌旁组织升高（P〈0.01）。CB的表达水平与肿瘤大小、淋巴结转移、临床分期、病理分化程度无显著相关性。结论：CB在口腔鳞癌中的表达明显升高,提示其与肿瘤的发生、发展具有一定关系。     

Endothelial cell Bcl-2 and lymph node metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41 : 124–130 Background: Loco‐regional spread of disease causes high morbidity and is associated with the poor prognosis of malignant oral tumors. Better understanding of mechanisms underlying the establishment of lymph node metastasis is necessary for the development of more effective therapies for patients with oral cancer. The aims of this work were to evaluate a possible correlation between endothelial cell Bcl‐2 and lymph node metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to study signaling pathways that regulate Bcl‐2 expression in lymphatic endothelial cells. Methods: Endothelial cells were selectively retrieved from paraffin‐embedded tissue sections of primary human OSCC from patients with or without lymph node metastasis by laser capture microdissection. RT‐PCR was used to evaluate Bcl‐2 expression in tumor‐associated endothelial cells and in tumor cells. In vitro, mechanistic studies were performed to examine the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐C on the expression of Bcl‐2 in primary human lymphatic endothelial cells. Results:  We observed that Bcl‐2 expression is upregulated in the endothelial cells of human oral tumors with lymph node metastasis as compared to endothelial cells from stage‐matched tumors without metastasis. VEGF‐C induced Bcl‐2 expression in lymphatic endothelial cells via VEGFR‐3 and PI3k/Akt signaling. Notably, OSCC cells express VEGF‐C and induce Bcl‐2 in lymphatic endothelial cells. Conclusions: Collectively, this work unveiled a mechanism for the induction of Bcl‐2 in lymphatic endothelial cells and suggested that endothelial cell Bcl‐2 contributes to lymph node metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.     

Insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 expression promotes tumor formation and invasion and predicts poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2011) 40 : 699–705 Background: Insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3), an oncofetal RNA‐binding protein, has been implicated in the enhancement of proliferation and invasion in various cancers. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and functional role of IGF2BP3 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: IGF2BP3 expression in 93 OSCC patients was investigated using immunohistochemical staining and correlated with clinical parameters and patients’ survival. The effect of IGF2BP3 on cell invasion ability was evaluated by RNA interference in OSCC cell line. Results: High expression of IGF2BP3 in OSCC was significantly correlated with large tumor size and lymph node metastasis. Kaplan‐Meier analysis revealed that oral cancer patients with high IGF2BP3 expression had a significantly lower 5‐year survival (P = 0.0017). Multivariate analysis of clinical samples demonstrated IGF2BP3 to be an independent prognosis factor (P = 0.003). Moreover, the IGF2BP3 shRNA significantly suppressed the invasion ability of OSCC in vitro, and the knockdown of endogenous IGF2BP3 expression also inhibited tumor formation in vivo. Conclusions: IGF2BP3 enhances cell invasion ability and tumorigenicity in human OSCC in vitro and in vivo. IGF2BP3 is an independent prognostic factor in patients with OSCC. Targeting of IGF2BP3 could potentially suppress the tumor growth and metastasis to improve the outcome of patients with OSCC.     

Hypoxia inducible factor‐1α expression in areca quid chewing‐associated oral squamous cell carcinomas

Oral Diseases (2010) 16 , 696–701 Objectives: Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)‐1α gene expression is mainly induced by tissue hypoxia. Overexpression of HIF‐1α has been demonstrated in a variety of cancers. The aim of this study was to compare HIF‐1α expression in normal human oral epithelium and areca quid chewing‐associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and further to explore the potential mechanisms that may lead to induce HIF‐1α expression. Methods: Twenty‐five OSCC from areca quid chewing‐associated OSCC and 10 normal oral tissue biopsy samples without areca quid chewing were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The oral epithelial cell line GNM cells were challenged with arecoline, a major areca nut alkaloid, by using Western blot analysis. Furthermore, glutathione precursor N‐acetyl‐l ‐cysteine (NAC), AP‐1 inhibitor curcumin, extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase inhibitor PD98059, and protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine were added to find the possible regulatory mechanisms. Results: Hypoxia inducible factor‐1α expression was significantly higher in OSCC specimens than normal specimen (P < 0.05). Arecoline was found to elevate HIF‐1α expression in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner (P < 0.05). The addition of NAC, curcumin, PD98059, and staurosporine markedly inhibited the arecoline‐induced HIF‐1α expression (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Hypoxia inducible factor‐1α expression is significantly upregulated in areca quid chewing‐associated OSCC and HIF‐1α expression induced by arecoline is downregulated by NAC, curcumin, PD98059, and staurosporine.     

Evaluation of survivin as a prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 368–375 Background: Poor prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is partly attributed to the lack of significant tumor marker for accurate staging and prognostication. We have evaluated survivin, which is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family as a cancer marker associated with proliferation, angiogenesis, oral carcinogenesis, and OSCC patient survival, as we reported a prognostic significance of survivin expression in lymph node previously. Methods: To evaluate survivin expression in six OSCC cell lines, Western blotting was performed. Hamster oral carcinogenesis model was used to observe changes of survivin expression in oral carcinogenesis. Finally, we assessed the diagnostic and prognostic significance of survivin in a series of 38 primary OSCC through immunohistochemistry (CD31, PCNA) and Kaplan–Meier’s test. Results: Survivin expression was detected in all OSCC cell lines at a varying level but not observed in normal gingival keratinocyte cells. In hamster model, survivin expression was observed from 8 weeks through 16 weeks and the intensity of expression became strong until 16 weeks. Clinicopathological analysis revealed a significant correlation between survivin expression and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.006) and proliferation (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant relationship with differentiation, micro vessel density, and cancer stage based on TNM. Survivin overexpression had a significant negative effect on survival of patients. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the significant relationship between survivin expression and oral carcinogenesis and aggressiveness of OSCC including survival rate of patient. Survivin therefore may be used as a significant cancer marker to gain prognostic information of OSCC.     

口腔鳞癌粘着斑激酶表达与颈淋巴结转移关系的研究

目的 :探讨粘着斑激酶 (FAK)在口腔粘膜鳞状细胞癌中的表达特点及其与颈淋巴结转移的关系。方法 :应用免疫组化LsAB法检测FAK在口腔癌原发灶及颈淋巴结转移灶中的表达分布特点 ,并与颈淋巴结转移的发生进行相关性分析。结果 :80例口腔癌原发灶均有FAK表达 ,口腔癌生长前沿区细胞的表达明显强于中央区 (P <0 .0 1) ,呈条带状分布 ;FAK在转移灶中的表达强度与原发灶前沿区细胞一致 ;口腔癌前沿区细胞FAK表达强度与颈淋巴结转移的发生呈正相关 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,而中央区FAK表达强度与颈淋巴结转移无关 (P >0 .0 5 )。结论 :FAK在口腔癌中的表达主要分布于生长前沿区细胞 ,参与癌细胞的侵袭性行为 ,与口腔癌颈淋巴结转移的发生有关     

Expression of CD163, interleukin‐10, and interferon‐gamma in oral squamous cell carcinoma: mutual relationships and prognostic implications

Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) and their associated inflammatory cytokines represent the major inflammatory component of the stroma of many tumors and can affect prognosis in the case of neoplasms. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of CD163⁺ cells, interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) in oral lesions associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The levels of CD163, IFN‐γ, and IL‐10 in the tissue samples of 240 patients with OSCC and 58 patients with other oral lesions were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Individuals with low IFN‐γ levels, high IL‐10 levels, and low CD163 levels were of special concern with respect to OSCC progression. We found that high levels of CD163, or a combination of low IFN‐γ levels, high IL‐10 levels, and low CD163 levels, were associated with poorer overall survival (OS). CD163⁺ cells provide better predictive power for OS in comparison with traditional markers, such as clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Therefore, CD163⁺ cells may be effective prognostic predictors of OSCC. IL‐10 may also indicate poor outcomes when IFN‐γ secretion is low and the cells are CD163^?.     

Expression of β2-adrenergic receptor in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: It has been speculated that chemokines and neurotransmitters might be involved in the organ‐specific development of metastases because cancer metastasis is similar to the regulation of migratory activity in leukocytes. Here, we aimed to examine the expression of β₂‐adrenergic receptor (β₂‐AR) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to investigate its correlation with tumor development and metastasis. Methods: Expression of β₂‐AR was examined in 65 cases of OSCC specimens, 10 cases of normal oral mucosa, and two cell lines using immunohistochemistry, Western blot and RT‐PCR. The differences in β₂‐AR expression between various groups were evaluated using SPSS 13.0 Statistical Software. Cell proliferation assays were assayed by β‐adrenergic receptors agonists (norepinephrine) and antagonists (propranolol). Norepinephrine‐mediated cell migration was assayed in Matrigel‐coated chemotaxis chamber. Results: β₂‐AR was highly expressed on OSCC compared to normal controls. In OSCC, positive β₂‐AR expression was significantly correlated with cervical lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001), age (P = 0.003), tumor size (P = 0.001) and clinical stage (P = 0.001), but not with gender. RT‐PCR and Western blot also confirmed positive β₂‐AR expression in OSCC and TCa8113 cell line, and negative β₂‐AR expression in normal oral mucosa and ACC cell line. β‐adrenoreceptor agonist (norepinephrine) was a potent mitogen for TCa8113 and ACC cell lines, and completely inhibited by the selective antagonist of β‐adrenergic receptors (propranolol). Norepinephrine induced migratory activity of OSCC cells in a dose‐dependent manner. Conclusion:  Increased expression of β₂‐AR may play an important role in the formation and metastasis of OSCC.     

Heat shock protein 47 expression in oral squamous cell carcinomas and upregulated by arecoline in human oral epithelial cells

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 40 : 390–396 Background: Heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) is a product of CBP2 gene located at chromosome 11q13.5, a region frequently amplified in human cancers. Areca quid chewing is a major risk factor of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to compare HSP47 expression in normal human oral epithelium and OSCC and further to explore the potential mechanisms that may lead to induce HSP47 expression. Methods: Thirty‐two OSCC specimens and ten normal oral tissue biopsy samples without areca quid chewing were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The oral epithelial cell line OC2 cells were challenged with arecoline, a major areca nut alkaloid, by using Western blot analysis. Furthermore, glutathione precursor N‐acetyl‐l ‐cysteine (NAC), extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002, cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor NS‐398, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A were added to find the possible regulatory mechanisms. Results: HSP47 expression was significantly higher in OSCC specimens than normal epithelium (P < 0.05). No significant difference in HSP47 expression was observed with respect to age, sex, T category, stage, and differentiation (P > 0.05). The lower HSP47 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.015). Arecoline was found to elevate HSP47 expression in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner (P < 0.05). The addition of NAC, PD98059, LY294002, NS398, and herbimycin A markedly inhibited the arecoline‐induced HSP47 expression (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that HSP47 expression is significantly upregulated in areca quid chewing‐associated OSCCs. HSP47 could be used clinically as a marker for lymph node metastasis of oral carcinogenesis. In addition, arecoline‐induced HSP47 expression was downregulated by NAC, PD98059, LY294002, NS398, and herbimycin A.     

ANGPTL4 regulates the metastatic potential of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Lymph node metastasis is a major factor for poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the molecular mechanisms of lymph node metastasis are unclear. We determined that angiopoietin‐like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) mRNA and protein expression were increased in OSCC cells established from the primary site in metastatic cases. In addition, ANGPTL4 expression in biopsy specimens was correlated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. Therefore, our initial findings suggest that OSCC cells expressing ANGPTL4 may possess metastatic ability. Furthermore, cell culture supernatants from OSCC cells that metastasized to the lymph node contain ANGPTL4 and promote invasive ability. These findings suggest that secreted ANGPTL4 may affect the invasive ability of OSCC. Moreover, the rates of positive ANGPTL4 expression at the primary site were significantly higher in the lymph node metastasis group. These results demonstrate that ANGPTL4 contributes to OSCC metastasis by stimulating cell invasion. Therefore, ANGPTL4 is a potential therapeutic target for preventing cancer metastasis.     

Pinx1 在口腔鳞癌中的表达及意义

目的:研究Pinx1在口腔鳞状细胞癌(OSCC)中的表达及意义。方法:免疫组织化学染色检测Pinx1在60例OSCC和20例正常口腔黏膜组织(NOM)中的表达情况。结果:Pinx1在NOM上皮中高表达,高表达率为100.00%,在OSCC中高表达率为65.00%,Pinx1高表达率明显低于NOM(P＜0.05),随着分化程度的降低,Pinx1表达呈降低趋势(P＜0.05),伴有淋巴结转移的病例中Pinx1表达水平显著低于不伴有淋巴结转移的OSCC(P＜0.05),Pinx1的表达情况与患者性别年龄无关。结论:Pinx1可能与OSCC的发生、发展及转移有关。     

Phospholipase C‐γ1 expression correlated with cancer progression of potentially malignant oral lesions

Background: Phospholipase C‐γ1 (PLCγ1) is required for cellular migration during tumor progression and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. The objective of the current study was to determine immunoexpression pattern of PLCγ1 in oral potentially malignant lesions (OPLs) and evaluate PLCγ1 usefulness as a biomarker for predicting clinical behavior in the carcinogenesis of OPL. Methods: In a retrospective follow‐up study, the expression pattern of PLCγ1 protein was determined using immunohistochemistry in samples from 68 patients, including untransformed cases (n = 38) and malignant‐transformed cases (n = 30). The corresponding post‐malignant lesions (OSCCs) were also performed. Results: We observed that elevated expression of PLCγ1 in 40 of 68 (59%) general OPLs and 23 of 30 (77%) OSCCs compared with that in normal oral mucosa. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that patients with PLCγ1 positivity had a significantly higher incidence of OSCC than those with PLCγ1 negativity. Cox regression analysis revealed that PLCγ1 expression patterns were significantly associated with increased risk of malignant progression. In addition, the correlation between PLCγ1 expression in pre‐malignant OPL and that in post‐malignant OSCC was significant (P = 0.004). Conclusion: These data indicate that PLCγ1 expression in OPL correlated with oral cancer progression, and PLCγ1 may serve as a useful marker for the identification of high‐risk OPL into OSCC.     

Wnt1在口腔鳞癌中的表达及其与淋巴结转移关系的研究

目的 :研究Wnt信号传导通路中Wnt1蛋白在口腔鳞状细胞癌(oral squamous cell carcinoma,OSCC)中的表达水平,初步探讨Wnt1在OSCC淋巴结转移中的作用。方法:采用免疫组织化学方法,检测60例OSCC中Wnt1的表达情况;采用Western blot法检测5对OSCC临床标本和配对癌周组织中Wnt1的表达;通过实时定量PCR法和Western blot法分别检测高、低转移潜能的HN-12和HN-4口腔鳞癌细胞系中Wnt1基因和蛋白的表达水平;采用生长曲线、划痕实验和Transwell法,分别检测重组蛋白Wnt1对2种细胞的生长情况、迁移能力和侵袭能力的影响。结果:24例淋巴结转移的OSCC中高表达Wnt1,16例未有淋巴结转移的OSCC中低表达Wnt1,Wnt1的表达在两组之间差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);高转移细胞系HN-12较低转移细胞系HN-4在m RNA水平和蛋白水平上Wnt1表达显著增高;重组蛋白Wnt1,能够提高肿瘤细胞的生长、迁移和侵袭能力。结论:Wnt信号通路中的关键分子Wnt1在OSCC中有表达,且与淋巴结转移相关,为进一步探讨Wnt信号通路影响肿瘤转移的分子机制奠定基础。     

Immunohistochemical detection of Ki‐67 is not associated with tumor‐infiltrating macrophages and cyclooxygenase‐2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 565–570 Background: An inflammatory component consisting of cells and chemical mediators may influence the proliferation and dissemination of the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In the present study, we evaluated the possible relationship between Ki‐67, tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs), and COX‐2 in OSCCs. In addition, the immunodetection of these proteins was associated with different histological grades of malignancy, including invasive and in situ tumors. Methods: Twenty‐seven OSCC cases were examined by light microscopy using criteria adopted WHO, and immunohistochemistry for Ki‐67, CD68, and COX‐2 using EnVision System in invasive and in situ lesions. Immunohistochemical detection of these proteins was assessed and scored for COX‐2, and results were compared with their histological grades of malignancy. Results: A correlation between Ki‐67, COX‐2, and CD68 was not found. Histological grade of malignancy (HDM) was associated with the Ki‐67 immunostaining (P = 0.00), but this was not observed regarding both CD68 (P = 0.51) and COX‐2 (P = 0.89). Furthermore, there was a COX‐2 overexpression in 62.96% of the sample, and a high density of TAMs in both OSCCs and in situ carcinomas. Conclusions: Imunolabeling for Ki‐67 was directly correlated with less‐differentiated tumors, suggesting that this marker may contribute to understand the biological behavior of OSCC, and help to distinguish risk groups of OSCC. Furthermore, the lack of correlation between Ki‐67, COX‐2, and CD68 indicates that the latter two markers may play a pivotal role in oral carcinogenesis. However, further studies are needed to clarify their contribution for cell proliferation and tumor differentiation.