Overexpression of p68 mRNA in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Abstract

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are aggressively growing tumors with only marginal improvement in outcome despite ongoing developments in treatment protocols. This problem has been associated with a lack of therapy individualization on tumor biological properties. Materials and Methods: mRNA expression profiles of HNSCC and normal epithelial cells were compared in order to identify genes associated with cancer formation. Differential display was used to trace gene fragments showing differential expression in HNSCC cells, which were than isolated, re-amplified, cloned and sequenced. Results: A 131-bp-long fragment was identified to be overexpressed in HNSCC cells that revealed a 99.3% homology with p68 mRNA. The differential expression was confirmed by Northern hybridization. Conclusion: The data presented suggest an involvement of p68 in the process of malignant transformation or progression of HNSCC.