Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;10(1):126-134.
doi: 10.52547/rbmb.10.1.126.

Cytokeratins (CK7 and CK20) Genes Expression Association with Clinicopathological Indices in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Dysplastic Oral Epithelium

Mehdi Shahabinejad  1   2 , Reza Zare  2 , Farnaz Mohajertehran  1   2 , Atefeh Amouzad Mahdiraji  3
Affiliations

Cytokeratins (CK7 and CK20) Genes Expression Association with Clinicopathological Indices in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Dysplastic Oral Epithelium

Mehdi Shahabinejad et al. Rep Biochem Mol Biol. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Background: High prevalence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) demands the additional novel biological markers. Due to the established roles of cytokeratin in the prognosis of metastasis evaluation the relation of expression of both CK7 and CK20 in OSCC compared to the dysplastic oral epithelium biopsies with clinicopathological factors were investigated.

Methods: We examined the coordinate mRNA expression of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in 110 biopsies of oral squamous epithelium samples including 72 tumoral and 38 dysplastic biopsies. We also collected demographic and pathological data including tumor stage and grade from our patients.

Results: There was a significant difference in CK7 and CK20 gene expression between OSCC and dysplastic samples (p< 0.001). Further, their mean expression in OSCC samples was significantly higher compared to dysplastic samples. Relative mRNA levels of CK7 and CK20 showed that their mean expression in OSCC grade I was significantly lower than other grades (p< 0.01). The relationship between CK7 and CK20 mRNA expression and age or gender was not significant (p> 0.05). Samples in the advanced stage of disease had significantly higher CK7 and CK20 expression compared to early-stage samples of OSCC specimens (p= 0.001).

Conclusion: We found an increase in CK7 and CK20 mRNA levels in grade III OSCC samples compared to other grades. This finding suggests a potential role for CK7 and CK20 in oral mucosal carcinogenesis and OSCC prognosis.

Keywords: CK7; CK20; Clinicopathological Indices; Cytokeratin; Gene expression; Oral Epithelial Dysplasia; Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Amplification plot for Ck7, Ck20 and GAPDH expression.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Melt curve for Ck7, Ck20, GAPDH expression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shahabinejad M, Asadi Z, Mohajertehran F. LAMP3 (CD208) Expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Epithelial Dysplasia of the Oral Cavity and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Unfavorable Prognosis. . Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. . 2021;9(4):373, 378. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Geum D-H, Roh Y-C, Yoon S-Y, Kim H-G, Lee J-H, Song J-M, et al. The impact factors on 5-year survival rate in patients operated with oral cancer. . J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2013;39(5):207, 216. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu SA, Wong YK, Lin JC, Poon CK, Tung KC, Tsai WC. Impact of recurrence interval on survival of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients after local relapse. . Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. . 2007;136(1):112, 8. - PubMed
    1. Sharma P, Saxena S, Aggarwal P. Trends in the epidemiology of oral squamous cell carcinoma in Western UP: an institutional study. . Indian Journal of Dental Research: official publication of Indian Society for Dental Research. . 2010;21(3):316–9. - PubMed
    1. Tepper JE, Krasna MJ, Niedzwiecki D, Hollis D, Reed CE, Goldberg R, et al. Phase III trial of trimodality therapy with cisplatin, fluorouracil, radiotherapy, and surgery compared with surgery alone for esophageal cancer: CALGB 9781. . Journal of clinical oncology. . 2008;26(7):1086–92. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources