Aberrant expression of DUSP4 is a specific phenomenon in betel quid-related oral cancer

AbstractOral cancer due to betel quid chewing habit is very common in South Asian countries. We attempted to detect the presence of a novel gene in epithelial cells stimulated with arecoline, a main component of betel quid. Human gingival epithelial progenitors were cultured and treated with a 3-day alternating regimen with/without 50  μg/ml arecoline for 1 month. DNA microarray and methylation arrays were analyzed to identify the candidate genes. Immunohistochemical staining was performed in the tissue samples. Genome-wide analyses, quantitative reverse transcription PCR and quantitative methylation-specific PCR revealedDUSP4 as the most significant and promising gene. The methylation levels ofDUSP4 were significantly higher in the betel quid-related oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) than those in the non-related OSCC and controls (Mann –WhitneyU test,p <  0.05). The number of DUSP4 immunopositive cells in betel quid-related OSCC was significantly higher than those from the non-chewing patients and the controls (p <  0.05). Hypermethylation ofDUSP4 may be considered as a specific event in betel quid-related oral cancer.
Source: Medical Molecular Morphology - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research