Proteins involved in cutaneous basal cell carcinoma development

Abstract

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin malignancy type in the Caucasian population, with a continuously increasing incidence rate. The etiology of BCC remains unknown, but it appears to have a multifactorial origin resulting from intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including short-wavelength ultraviolet B radiation. The role of specific proteins in BCC that are known to be responsible for the regulation of cell division and are involved in skin aging, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, Smad2, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-1, -3, -8 and -9, cathepsin-K and progerin, remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to assess the mRNA and protein expression profile of samples with diagnosed nodular BCC (nBCC) compared with that of healthy skin samples collected from matched areas. The study group included 22 patients (10 men and 12 women; mean age, 59 years; range, 44-82 years) with pathologically confirmed nBCC, and 22 healthy volunteers (10 men and 12 women; mean age, 59 years; range, 43-78 years) as a control group. The expression of the studied proteins was assessed in all samples by western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Statistically significant increases in the expression of TGF-β, Smad2, cathepsin-K, progerin and MMP-1, -3, -8 and -9 were detected in skin biopsies with diagnosed nBCC compared with the control group, confirming the important role of these proteins in skin carcinogenesis.

Keywords: biomedical recurrence; gene expression; model; prognosis; prostate cancer.

Figure 1.

Data are presented as the median ± interquartile range. The expression of selected proteins (cathepsin-K, TGF-β, Smad2 and progerin) was evaluated using western blotting. The statistical significance of the differences was estimated with the Mann-Whitney U test due to the non-parametric distribution of the variables. BCC, basal cell carcinoma; TGF, transforming growth factor; IDV, integrated density values (****P<0.0001).

Figure 2.

Data are presented as the median ± interquartile range. The expression of selected proteins (MMP-1, −3, −8 and −9) was evaluated using western blotting. The statistical significance of the differences was estimated with the Mann-Whitney U test due to the non-parametric distribution of the variables. BCC, basal cell carcinoma; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; IDV, integrated density values (****P<0.0001).

Figure 3.

Representative western blots of photodamage-related proteins in skin samples from the control group and patients with BCC in reference to Actb. BCC, basal cell carcinoma; Actb, β-actin; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; TGF, transforming growth factor.

Figure 4.

Data are presented as the means ± standard deviations. The mRNA expression of cathepsin-K, TGF-β, Smad2 and progerin was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The statistical significance of the differences was estimated with the Mann-Whitney U test due to the non-parametric distribution of the variables. BCC, basal cell carcinoma; TGF, transforming growth factor (****P<0.0001).

Figure 5.

Data are presented as means ± standard deviations. The mRNA expression of MMP-1, −3, −8 and −9 was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The statistical significance of the differences was estimated with the Mann-Whitney U test due to the non-parametric distribution of the variables. BCC, basal cell carcinoma; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase (****P<0.0001).