SUOX is negatively associated with multistep carcinogenesis and proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma

• Published in: Medical molecular morphology Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 102 - 110
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Ken, Akiba, Jun, Ogasawara, Sachiko, Naito, Yoshiki, Nakayama, Masamichi, Abe, Yushi, Kusukawa, Jingo, Yano, Hirohisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01-06-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anatomy; Carcinogenesis; DNA microarrays; Dysplasia; Epithelium; Gene expression; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Molecular Medicine; Molecular modelling; Neck; Oral cancer; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Original Paper; Pathology; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Squamous cell carcinoma; Sulfite; Sulfite oxidase; Tongue; Tumors; Immunohistochemistry; Dysplasia; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Sulfite oxidase; Microarray; Carcinogenesis
• ISSN: 1860-1480; 1860-1499
• DOI: 10.1007/s00795-017-0177-4

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor in the head and neck region. The aim of this study was to identify the key molecules and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of OSCC carcinogenesis through a microarray analysis of RNA extracted from normal epithelium, dysplasia, and squamous cell carcinoma components. Out of molecules that showed changes in gene expression in the microarray analysis, we focused on Sulfite oxidase (SUOX), which correlated significantly with carcinogenic process and exhibited a stepwise decrease in expression. The expression of SUOX was evaluated in detail at the protein level using samples from 58 patients with cancer of the tongue, and correlating clinicopathological factors were also comprehensively examined. SUOX expression declined significantly from normal epithelium to dysplasia to squamous cell carcinoma components in line with carcinogenic process. With regard to squamous cell carcinoma, SUOX expression was significantly lower when T classification was high. Our findings indicated that SUOX is negatively associated with the progression and proliferation of tongue cancer, and suggest that SUOX may be a key molecule in tongue tumors.