Ravindran Gokulan, Sawant Sharada S, Hague Angela, Kingsley Karl, Devaraj Halagowder
Unit of Biochemistry, Department of Zoology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Cancer Research Institute, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India.
Head Neck. 2015 Jul;37(7):982-93. doi: 10.1002/hed.23699. Epub 2014 Jun 27.
The re-expression of pluripotent markers (Oct-4 and Nanog) and the reactivation of stem cell-related pathways in oral carcinoma have been well researched. However, the relationship between the stem cell signaling molecule β-catenin and pluripotent markers Oct-4 and Nanog in oral cancer is yet to be studied in detail. Therefore, we have investigated the correlation among Oct-4, Nanog, and β-catenin in oral squamous cell carcinoma, which, in turn, could provide valuable insight into its prognostic significance.
The immunohistochemical analysis was performed for 60 cases of oral cancer to study the expression pattern of Oct-4, Nanog, and β-catenin. Whereas immunofluorescence analysis was used to investigate the co-localization of β-catenin with Oct-4 and Nanog in oral carcinoma tissues and H314 cell line. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation analysis was used to study the possible interaction between β-catenin and Oct-4 in oral carcinoma cells.
β-catenin, Oct-4, and Nanog showed significant correlation with lymph node metastasis, stage, grade, and prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Interestingly, a significant positive correlation was found among the expression of Oct-4, Nanog, and β-catenin. Moreover, the interaction between β-catenin and Oct-4 was observed in oral cancer.
The positive correlation among Oct-4, Nanog, and β-catenin suggests their coordinated role in maintaining proliferation in oral carcinoma cells. The interaction between β-catenin and Oct-4 may be a crucial event in oral carcinogenesis. On the other hand, β-catenin, Oct-4, and Nanog could be used as independent prognostic markers of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
口腔癌中多能性标志物（Oct-4和Nanog）的重新表达以及干细胞相关通路的重新激活已得到充分研究。然而，口腔癌中干细胞信号分子β-连环蛋白与多能性标志物Oct-4和Nanog之间的关系尚待详细研究。因此，我们研究了口腔鳞状细胞癌中Oct-4、Nanog和β-连环蛋白之间的相关性，这反过来可能为其预后意义提供有价值的见解。
对60例口腔癌进行免疫组织化学分析，以研究Oct-4、Nanog和β-连环蛋白的表达模式。而免疫荧光分析则用于研究β-连环蛋白与Oct-4和Nanog在口腔癌组织和H314细胞系中的共定位。最后，采用免疫共沉淀分析研究口腔癌细胞中β-连环蛋白与Oct-4之间可能的相互作用。
β-连环蛋白、Oct-4和Nanog与口腔鳞状细胞癌的淋巴结转移、分期、分级和预后显著相关。有趣的是，Oct-4、Nanog和β-连环蛋白的表达之间存在显著正相关。此外，在口腔癌中观察到β-连环蛋白与Oct-4之间的相互作用。
Oct-4、Nanog和β-连环蛋白之间的正相关表明它们在维持口腔癌细胞增殖中起协同作用。β-连环蛋白与Oct-4之间的相互作用可能是口腔癌发生中的关键事件。另一方面，β-连环蛋白、Oct-4和Nanog可作为口腔鳞状细胞癌的独立预后标志物。
