OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression and relationship of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in normal oral mucosa, oral leukoplakia (OLK), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This work also analyzed the relationship between expression levels and clinical factors. This study evaluated the clinical value of LC3B and mTOR as indices to determine the carcinogenic potential of OLK. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of LC3B and mTOR in 20 cases of normal oral mucosa, 120 cases of OLK, and 30 cases of OSCC. The clinical data of 120 patients with OLK were analyzed. The relationships between expression levels and clinical factors were investigated. RESULTS: In normal oral mucosa, OLK and OSCC, the positive rates of LC3B expression were 85.0%, 65.8% and 33.3% (P<0.05), whereas the positive rates of mTOR expression were 20.0%, 48.3% and 76.7% (P<0.05). The expression levels of LC3B and mTOR were correlated and related to clinical typing of OLK (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS LC3B and mTOR can be used as molecular biomarkers for early detection of OLK.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukoplakia, Oral ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mouth Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of Fas mRNA and protein expression and apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODSNorthern blot and flow cytometry (TUNEL method) were used to detect the expression of Fas mRNA and Fas protein, cell cycle and apoptotic level in oral squamous cell carcinoma. The relationship between Fas gene expression and OSCC apoptosis was analyzed statistically.

RESULTSFas mRNA and protein could be detected in all five normal oral mucosa specimens. There was positive correlation between expression of Fas mRNA/protein and cell differentiation as well as apoptosis in OSCC (P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONThe expression of Fas gene was highly correlated with the differentiation and apoptosis in OSCC.

Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the expression of stromal CD34 and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) in oral invasive cancer.

METHODSThe distribution and expression of stromal CD34 and alpha-SMA in 60 patients with invasive oral squamous cell cancer and 20 resections with tumor-free margins from 60 patients with invasive oral squamous cell cancer were examined by immunohistochemistry SP method.

RESULTSTwenty cases of resections of mucosa with tumor-free margins exhibited CD34 expression in fibrocytes cytoplasm in the vicinity of vessels, mucosa and submucosa but were free of alpha-SMA expression, only the walls of muscularized vessels stained positive for alpha-SMA in the stroma. Sixty invasive oral squamous cell carcinomas were free of stromal CD34 expression, only the endothelia of small vessels stained positive for CD34, of which 53 invasive oral squamous cell carcinomas expressed stromal alpha-SMA in myofibroblasts cytoplasm.

CONCLUSIONSThe detection of CD34 and alpha-SMA is an adjunctive tool in judging oral cancer invasion in small oral mucosa biopsy specimens based on the absence of CD34 expression paralleled by the gain of alpha-SMA in the stroma of oral invasive cancer.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to reveal the relations between expression and tumor behavior such as invasion, metastasis and prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) through analyzing the expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (UPA).

METHODSWith Labelled streptavidin biotin method (LsAB), the expression of UPA was analyzed in 80 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma, 10 cases of oral normal mucosa and 10 cases of oral leukoplakia.

RESULTSCompared to oral normal mucosa and oral leukoplakia, the expression of UPA was significantly higher in SCC. The expression of UPA in SCC cases with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than in cases without metastasis. The expression in cases with good prognosis was significantly higher than in those with poor prognosis and the expression was significantly higher in cases with invasive growth than in those with ulcerative and papillary growth.

CONCLUSIONThe results obtained indicated that high expression of UPA in SCC might be closely related to lymph node metastasis, invasive growth and poor prognosis.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Leukoplakia, Oral ; metabolism ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Prognosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of cytokeratin 19 during oral carcinogenesis.

METHODS53 specimens including normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial hyperplasia, oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma were investigated by immunohistochemistry, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.

RESULTSCK19 was detectable in suprabasal cell layers in epithelial dysplasia and in oral cancer, especially in poor-differentiated cancerous cells. With the lesions getting worse, the positive rate, the intensity and the constituent ratio of CK19 raised significantly.

CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that the CK19 expression in suprabasal cell layers of oral mucosa can be used as a marker of diagnosis of oral precancerous lesions and CK19 expression is the initial events during oral carcinogenesis.

Adult ; Aged ; Blotting, Western ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratins ; analysis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Precancerous Conditions ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression levels of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in the peripheral blood of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to discuss their biological and clinical significance.

METHODSPD-1/PD-L1 expression on the surface of T-lymphocytes and the counts of T-lymphocyte subpopulations of peripheral blood in 82 patients with OSCC (OSCC group) and 25 healthy controls (control group) were examined via flow cytometry. The expression levels of soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) and soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) in the serum were observed through enzyme-link immunology method. The data were tested and analyzed with SPSS 17.0 software.

RESULTSThe percentage of CD8+ T cells in the OSCC group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), whereas the percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells as well as CD4+/CD8+ ratio were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The positive rates of PD-1 and PD-L1 in CD3+ and CD4+ T cells in OSCC peripheral blood were remarkably higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). Difference was not observed between the expression levels of sPD-1 in the serum of OSCC group and those in the control group (P>0.05), but the average of sPD-L1 was remarkably higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). sPD-L1 expression was related to clinical stage, tumor cell differentiation, and lymph node status (P<0.05) but not related to sex, age, tumor location, and tumor size.

CONCLUSIONT-lymphocyte subpopulations in the peripheral blood of patients with OSCC developed immunosuppression with different degrees. PD-1 and PD-L1 expression levels on the surface of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells significantly increased. Abnormal increase in sPD-L1 expression may be associated with OSCC development.

B7-H1 Antigen ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of full-length spleen tyrosine kinase [SYK (L)] mRNA and protein in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as well as its possible effects on the invasion and metastasis of OSCC.

METHODSThe expression of SYK (L) was detected in 27 cases of OSCC tissues and its matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Fourteen cases of normal oral gingival tissues were also analyzed as a normal control.

RESULTSReduced mRNA and protein expression of SYK (L) in OSCC tissues was observed compared with that in normal oral gingival tissues (P<0.01) and adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P<0.05). SYK(L) expression was significantly associated with lymph-node metastasis (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSYK(L) is a candidate tumor suppressor for OSCC tissues, and has an inhibitive effect on the initiation, proliferation, and lymph-node metastasis of human OSCC.

Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; Syk Kinase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of MMP-2, MT1-MMP and TIMP-2 in the carcinogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP).

METHODSImmunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of OLP and compare with that of NOM.

RESULTSThe expression of these proteinases significantly increased from NOM, non-atrophic OLP, to atrophic OLP and OSCC. The expression of MMP-2 and MT1-MMP in atrophic OLP was significantly higher than in non-atrophic OLP. Furthermore, the expression of TIMP-2 consequently increased with the increasing of the MMP, but the increase of TIMP-2 was less than that of MMP.

CONCLUSIONSMMP may be useful marker to judge the possibility of malignant change of OLP.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lichen Planus, Oral ; metabolism ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 14 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to observe the expression of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) and its substrates in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODSmTOR and its substrates alpha1, alpha2, beta1, beta2 isoforms of p70 S6 kinase (p70S6k) and 4EBP1 were examined by means of RT-PCR, Western-blot test.

RESULTSThe result of RT-PCR showed that in poorly differentiated tissue, the expression level of mTOR and its substrates alpha1, alpha2, beta1, beta2 isoforms of p70S6k increased obviously, while that of 4EBP1 decreased, while that in well differentiated tissue was second to it, the normal oral tissue was the last. The expression of Western-blot was the same as the RT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of mTOR and its substrates differs in different types of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The result suggests that mTOR, p70S6K and 4EBP1 might play important roles in oral squamous cell carcinoma. It may be an important target protein to treat tumor in the future.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Phosphoproteins ; metabolism ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa ; metabolism ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) and MDM2 in carcinogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). METHODS: The expression of FHIT and MDM2 was examined by immunohistochemical S-P method in 44 OSF cases, 15 canceration tissues of OSF, and 10 normal oral mucosa tissues. RESULTS: The expression of FHIT was positive in the normal oral mucosa epithelium. The positive expression of FHIT decreased in the OSF and canceration tissues of the OSF.The rate of FHIT positive expression was significantly lower in canceration tissues of OSF than that of the OSF (P < 0.05). The expression of MDM2 was negative in normal oral mucosa epithelium. The positive expression of MDM2 increased in the OSF and canceration tissues of the OSF, and the rate of MDM2 positive expression was significantly higher in the canceration tissues of OSF than that of the OSF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The loss of FHIT and over-expression of MDM2 may play an important role in the carcinogenesis of OSF.
Acid Anhydride Hydrolases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; Mouth Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oral Submucous Fibrosis ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 ; genetics ; metabolism