Overexpression of deubiquitinase (usp 36) in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM

Oral cancer is one of the top three types of cancer and is of significant public health importance in India. A common post-translational modification in cells is ubiquitination/deubiquitination, and its dysregulation is closely associated with the development of cancer. Studies on the role of ubiquitination in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are lacking. Increased expression of has been observed in various types of cancer, and this study aimed to check the gene expression of in OSCC patients. In this study, we analyzed the expression of ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) 36 in OSCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 15 OSCC patients at different stages of tumor differentiation and age- and sex-matched controls were recruited for the study. The patients were categorized based on their differentiation patterns. RNA was extracted from the tissues, and gene expression was checked in these samples using a quantitative real-time PCR technique.

RESULTS

Our study showed increased expression of gene in OSCC patients. The mRNA was 231.8 ± 137.94 folds higher in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma patients, 38.18 ± 3.77 folds higher in moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma patients, and 25.49 ± 7.30 folds higher in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma patients compared to control tissues.

CONCLUSION

Our study reports, for the first time, an increased gene expression of in OSCC tissues.