AIM: This study is based on the result of the study in HL and ALCL employing gene chip technique, in which writer found that there was distinctly different expression of caspase-4 between HL and ALCL cell lines at the level of mRNA. From the point of view, we try to identify at the level of protein whether there is different expression of this gene in HL and ALCL tissues as well. METHODS: HE staining, the monoclonal antibodies CD30 (BerH2), CD15 (C3D-1), CD20 (L26) and CD45RO (UCHL1) were used for selecting the cases of HL and ALCL. Specific high affinitive anti-caspase-4 polyclonal antibody was used by immunohistochemical staining to analyze the expression of caspase-4 in 18 cases of HL and 15 cases of ALCL. RESULTS: The expression of caspase-4 demonstrated a strong positive staining in all ALCL cases (15/15,100%), whereas negative in 16 HL cases (88 8%), while other two cases were weakly stained (11 2%), showing a distinct difference (P

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, β-catenin and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC).

METHODSEighty-nine cases of OSCC and 20 cases of normal oral mucosa were collected. Then the 89 cases of OSCC were classified as grade I, II, III. The semiquantitative method was used to calculated the positive intensity and positive rate. The relationship between the OSCC differentiation and the four biomarkers was analyzed.

RESULTSThe median of E-cadherin was 9.00 in the normal tissue, 9.00, 6.00 and 6.00 in OSCC I, II and III, respectively. There was significant difference between the normal group and OSCC group (Z=-4.211, P=0.000). The median of vimentin was 0.00 in the normal tissue, 0.00, 0.00 and 4.00 in OSCC I, II and III, respectively. There was significant difference between the normal group and OSCC group (Z=-3.675, P=0.000). The median of β-catenin was 9.00 in the normal tissue, 3.00, 4.00 and 3.00 in OSCC I, II and III, respectively. There was significant difference between the normal group and OSCC group (Z=-6.300, respectively. There was significant difference between the normal group and OSCC group (Z=-3.329, P=0.000). E-cadherin expression was positively correlated to β-catenin expression (r=0.327, P=0.002), negtively correlated to vimentin expression (r=-0.386, P=0.001) and positively correlated to TGF-β1 expression (r=-0.304, P=0.004). Vimentin expression was positively correlated to TGF-β1 expression (r=0.401, P=0.000).

CONCLUSIONSE-cadherin and β-catenin in OSCC had a down-regulated expression, while the vimentin has an up-regulated expression.

Cadherins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Humans ; Mouth Mucosa ; cytology ; metabolism ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factors ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; beta Catenin ; metabolism