Identification of tetranectin as a potential biomarker for metastatic oral cancer.
Lymph node involvement is the most important predictor of survival rates in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A biomarker that can indicate lymph node metastasis would be valuable to classify patients with OSCC for optimal treatment. In this study, we have performed a serum proteomic analysis of OSCC using 2-D gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. One of the down-regulated proteins in OSCC was identified as tetranectin, which is a protein encoded by the CLEC3B gene (C-type lectin domain family 3, member B). We further tested the protein level in serum and saliva from patients with lymph-node metastatic and primary OSCC. Tetranectin was found significantly under-expressed in both serum and saliva of metastatic OSCC compared to primary OSCC. Our results suggest that serum or saliva tetranectin may serve as a potential biomarker for metastatic OSCC. Other candidate serum biomarkers for OSCC included superoxide dismutase, ficolin 2, CD-5 antigen-like protein, RalA binding protein 1, plasma retinol-binding protein and transthyretin. Their clinical utility for OSCC detection remains to be further tested in cancer patients.
School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; E-Mails: martha_eliz6@yahoo.com (M.E.A.-G.); liuliuxj@ucla.edu (X.L.).
Martha E
ME
Arellano-Garcia
Roger
R
Li
Xiaojun
X
Liu
Yongming
Y
Xie
Xiaofei
X
Yan
Joseph A
JA
Loo
Shen
S
Hu
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; C048648:tetranectin