Co-expression of p16(INK4A) and laminin 5 gamma2 by microinvasive and superficial squamous cell carcinomas in vivo and by migrating wound and senescent keratinocytes in culture.
The high frequency of mutation, deletion, and promoter silencing of the gene encoding p16(INK4A) (p16) in premalignant dysplasias and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of epidermis and oral epithelium classifies p16 as a tumor suppressor. However, the point during neoplastic progression at which this protein is expressed and presumably impedes formation of an SCC is unknown. Induction of p16 has been found to be responsible for the senescence arrest of normal human keratinocytes in culture, suggesting the possibility that excessive or spatially abnormal cell growth in vivo triggers p16 expression. We examined 73 skin and oral mucosal biopsy specimens immunohistochemically to test this hypothesis. p16 was not detectable in benign hyperplastic lesions, but instead was expressed heterogeneously in some dysplastic and carcinoma in situ lesions and consistently at areas of microinvasion and at superficial margins of advanced SCCs. p16-positive cells in these regions coexpressed the gamma2 chain of laminin 5, identified previously as a marker of invasion in some carcinomas. Normal keratinocytes undergoing senescence arrest in culture proved to coordinately express p16 and gamma2 and this was frequently associated with increased directional motility. Keratinocytes at the edges of wounds made in confluent early passage cultures also coexpressed p16 and gamma2, accompanying migration to fill the wound. These results have identified the point during neoplastic progression in stratified squamous epithelial at which the tumor suppressor p16 is expressed and suggest that normal epithelia may use the same mechanism to generate non-dividing, motile cells for wound repair.
Natarajan
Easwar
E
Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Saeb
Marcela
M
Crum
Christopher P
CP
Woo
Sook B
SB
McKee
Phillip H
PH
Rheinwald
James G
JG
D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology*; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014945:Wound Healing; D000097794:Kalinin
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D021122:Protein Subunits; D000097794:Kalinin