title: Quantitative expression analysis of the apoptosis-related gene, BCL2L12, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  BCL2L12 is a recently identified gene belonging to the BCL2 family, members of which are implicated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We have recently shown that BCL2L12 mRNA expression is an unfavorable prognostic indicator in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and that BCL2L12 can be regarded as a novel, useful tissue biomarker for the prediction of NPC patients' short-term relapse. The aim of this study was to analyze the mRNA expression of the novel apoptosis-related gene BCL2L12 in patients with HNSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total RNA was isolated from 53 malignant tumors originating in larynx, pharynx, tongue, buccal mucosa, parotid glands, and nasal cavity, as well as from 34 adjacent non-cancerous tissue specimens, resected from patients with HNSCC. A highly sensitive real-time PCR method for BCL2L12 mRNA quantification in head and neck tissues was developed using the SYBR(®) Green chemistry. After preparing cDNA by reverse transcription, relative quantification was performed using the comparative C(T) () method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BCL2L12 mRNA levels were lower in laryngeal tumors of advanced tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage or bigger size and in well-differentiated malignant tongue neoplasms, compared with early-stage laryngeal tumors or poorly differentiated tongue tumors. Interestingly, the BCL2L12 expression showed significant discriminatory value, distinguishing efficiently patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from non-cancerous population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study examining the BCL2L12 mRNA expression in HNSCC. Our results suggest that BCL2L12 mRNA expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in tongue and/or larynx SCC, which principally constitute the great majority of HNSCC cases worldwide.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors: Panagiota-Aikaterini
authors: PA
authors: Geomela
authors: Christos K
authors: CK
authors: Kontos
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Yiotakis
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Scorilas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000473:pathology; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C430100:BCL2L12 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm