Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2026

Establishment of a Clinic-based Biorepository
07:50

Establishment of a Clinic-based Biorepository

Published on: May 29, 2017

Expression of the transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase RPTPalpha in human oral squamous cell carcinoma

A Berndt1, X Luo, F D Böhmer

  • 1Institute of Pathology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany. berndt@bach.med.uni-jena.de

Histochemistry and Cell Biology
|July 14, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) like RPTPalpha are crucial in cancer. This study found RPTPalpha expression increases with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) dedifferentiation and invasion.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are key regulators of cell signaling, analogous to protein-tyrosine kinases.
  • The receptor-like PTPalpha (RPTPalpha) is implicated in growth regulation and has been observed to be overexpressed in colon carcinoma.
  • Understanding RPTPalpha's role in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression patterns and cellular distribution of RPTPalpha in OSCCs of varying histological grades.
  • To determine the association between RPTPalpha expression, tumor dedifferentiation, and stromal cell activity in OSCC.
  • To assess RPTPalpha as a potential marker for proliferating or dedifferentiated cells in epithelial tumors.

Main Methods:

  • Development of RNA/RNA in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry protocols for RPTPalpha.
  • Evaluation of RPTPalpha mRNA and protein expression in different histological grades of OSCC.
  • Correlation of RPTPalpha expression with histological grade, cellular differentiation, and stromal cell populations.

Main Results:

  • In well-differentiated OSCC (G1), RPTPalpha mRNA was localized to stromal cells (fibro/myofibroblasts and inflammatory cells).
  • Higher histological grades (G2/G3) showed increased RPTPalpha synthesis in dedifferentiated carcinoma cells within invasive tumor areas.
  • Immunohistochemistry confirmed these findings, indicating consistent RPTPalpha upregulation in more aggressive OSCC.

Conclusions:

  • Carcinoma dedifferentiation and stromal cell activation are associated with increased RPTPalpha expression in OSCC.
  • Activated stromal fibro/myofibroblasts play a significant role in the biological behavior of epithelial tumors.
  • Elevated RPTPalpha expression may serve as a general biomarker for proliferating or dedifferentiated cells in various cancers.

More Related Videos

Development and Application of Rapamycin-regulated Tyrosine Phosphatases06:56

Development and Application of Rapamycin-regulated Tyrosine Phosphatases

Published on: September 6, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases01:26

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

Receptor tyrosine kinases or RTKs are membrane-bound receptors that phosphorylate specific tyrosine on protein substrates. RTKs regulate cellular growth, differentiation, survival, and migration. They contain an extracellular ligand binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytosolic tail with intrinsic kinase activity. Several extracellular signaling molecules activate RTKs in one or more ways and relay the signal downstream. Ligands such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or...
The Retinoblastoma Gene01:20

The Retinoblastoma Gene

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...