Variable expression of cathepsin B and D correlates with highly invasive and metastatic phenotype of oral cancer.
The expression levels of cathepsins B, D, and L in oral cancer surgical specimens were determined using immunocytochemical analysis. Cathepsins B and D are frequently overexpressed in squamous cell carcinomas, whereas their overexpression was less frequent in verrucous carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinomas. Elevated level of cathepsin B in oral carcinomas was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage (P < .05) and poor histologic malignancy grade (P < .001). Increased expression of cathepsin D correlated significantly with the presence of metastasis (P < .05), poor histologic malignancy grade (P < .001), and high proliferation rate (P < .05). Cathepsin L was less frequently overexpressed in oral cancers than cathepsin B and D. These findings indicate that there is a strong cause/effect relationship between the expression levels of cathepsin B and D in oral cancers and their local invasive and metastatic growth patterns. Thus, cathepsins B and D are useful prognostic markers as well as promising gene therapy targets for oral cancer.
Vigneswaran
N
N
Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Zhao
W
W
Dassanayake
A
A
Muller
S
S
Miller
D M
DM
Zacharias
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002455:Cell Division; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D002403:Cathepsins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D002401:Cathepsin B; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002402:Cathepsin D