Overexpression and amplification of glutathione S-transferase pi gene in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Human glutathione S-transferase pi (GST-pi) may serve as a useful tumor marker because of the high frequency with which it is found in elevated levels in several tumor types. To determine whether GST-pi is useful as an indicator for cancers of the head and neck, expression of GST-pi mRNA was investigated by Northern analysis in this tumor type. Overexpression of GST-pi mRNA was detected in 9 of 36 (25%) primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). When Southern blot analysis was used to examine the relationship between overexpression and amplification of the GST-pi gene, only 3 of 36 tumors (8%) showed GST-pi gene amplification. Thus, gene amplification is not critical to GST-pi mRNA overexpression in HNSCCs. Moderately and poorly differentiated HNSCCs tended to manifest elevated GST-pi mRNA compared with well differentiated tumors (30% for moderately and poorly differentiated tumors versus none of the well differentiated tumors examined). However, there was no significant correlation between GST-% mRNA overexpression and clinical stage, T stage (tumor size), N stage (neck nodal status), pathological nodes, or patient survival.
Wang
X
X
Departments of Cell Biology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, USA.
Pavelic
Z P
ZP
Li
Y
Y
Gleich
L
L
Gartside
P S
PS
Pavelic
L
L
Gluckman
J L
JL
Stambrook
P J
PJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D015996:Survival Rate
D007527:Isoenzymes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C496556:GSTP1 protein, human; D051549:Glutathione S-Transferase pi; D005982:Glutathione Transferase