Detection of survivin mRNA in healthy oral mucosa, oral leucoplakia and oral cancer.
BACKGROUND
Survivin is involved in modulation of cell death and cell division processes. Survivin expression in normal adult tissues has not been fully understood, although it is markedly lower than in cancer, where it is over-expressed.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate survivin expression in normal, potentially malignant and cancerous oral mucosa.


METHODS
We measured survivin mRNA levels by real-time RT-PCR in specimens of oral mucosa (15 from normal mucosa, 17 from potentially malignant lesions, 17 from neoplasms). Scores were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc according to Conover. Chi-squared test was used for dichotomous data.


RESULTS
The median relative levels of survivin mRNA resulted six for normal mucosa, eight for potentially malignant lesions, 13 for cancers: differences among these three groups were statistically significant, as between cancer and potentially malignant lesions. Expression in normal mucosa and potentially lesions group showed no significant difference. Low, but not marginal expression of survivin in normal mucosa is a new finding, and it could be explained with the higher sensibility of our methods.


CONCLUSIONS
Survivin expression in oral potentially malignant lesions might indicate a progressive deregulation of expression paralleling oncogenesis, particularly during the first stages of process, suggesting a putative predictive role for survivin.
Lodi
G
G
Unità di Medicina e Patologia Orale, Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia ed Odontoiatria, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20142 Milan, Italy. giovanni.lodi@unimi.it
Franchini
R
R
Bez
C
C
Sardella
A
A
Moneghini
L
L
Pellegrini
C
C
Bosari
S
S
Manfredi
M
M
Vescovi
P
P
Carrassi
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D000077022:Survivin; D055815:Young Adult
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D000077022:Survivin