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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Cell Population Analyses During Skin Carcinogenesis
Published on: August 21, 2013
Different expression patterns of beta-defensins in human squamous cell carcinomas
Tomohito Yoshimoto1, Tomoichiro Yamaai, Nobuyoshi Mizukawa
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery, Okayama University Dental School, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8525, Japan.
Abstract:
The expression of human beta-defensin genes in oral squamous cell carcinomas(SCCs) was demonstrated by in situ hybridization. The expression of HBD-2 was observed not only in the inflamed lesions with bacterial infection but also in the non-inflamed carcinomas themselves (evident in 15 out of 20 carcinomas). However, HBD-3 expression was found in only 4 out of 20 SCCs. In the normal oral epithelia, the expression of HBD-2 and HBD-3 was only detected in the areas adjacent to the SCCs. These results suggest that HBD-2 might play a role in SCCs, which is different from the native defensive role of these proteins. HBD-2 may lead to the death of normal keratinocytes adjacent to the SCCs, which might, in turn, indirectly assist in the multiplication of tumor cells.
