Up-regulation of stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha and its receptor CXCR4 expression accompanied with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha (SDF-1alpha) and its receptor CXCR4 have been implicated in the tumorigenesis, proliferation, and lymph node metastasis of cancer. Here, we report that highly invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells with a spindle cell morphology show a strong expression of both SDF-1alpha and CXCR4. CXCR4 expression and cell migratory activity were further up-regulated by treatment with SDF-1alpha or TGF-beta1 in these cells. When epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was induced by Snail over-expression in SCC cells with an epithelial phenotype, an increased expression of SDF-1alpha was observed. Furthermore, SDF-1alpha and TGF-beta1 up-regulated the expression of CXCR4 and cell migratory activity in these cells. These results indicate that SDF-1alpha and CXCR4 expressions are possible markers of highly-invasive SCC and regulated by EMT.
Taki
Masayuki
M
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of Cervico-Gnathostomatology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
Higashikawa
Koichiro
K
Yoneda
Shingo
S
Ono
Shigehiro
S
Shigeishi
Hideo
H
Nagayama
Masaru
M
Kamata
Nobuyuki
N
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000502:physiology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000473:pathology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation
C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4