Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unlocking the Mysteries of Oral Potential Malignancies
Published on: August 11, 2023
Heterogeneous and abnormal localization of desmosomal proteins in oral intraepithelial neoplasms
Sohichi Aizawa1, Takanaga Ochiai, Toshiaki Ara
1Department of Hard Tissue Research, Matsumoto Dental University Graduate School of Oral Medicine.
Abstract:
To study the relationship between the biological and morphological characteristics of oral intraepithelial neoplasms (OINs), we examined the localization of desmosome-related proteins. Twenty-seven cases of OIN3 were tentatively classified as basaloid (14 cases) or differentiated (13 cases), and the latter were further subdivided into verrucous (five cases) and acanthotic (eight cases) subtypes. All samples were stained using antibodies against desmoglein 1 (DSG1), desmocollin 3 (DSC3), junction plakoglobin (JUP) and serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 5 (SPINK5) domain. All variants of OIN3 showed significantly high rates of positivity for DSG1 in the basal layer (basaloid 57%; differentiated 85%), DSC3 in the surface layer (basaloid 93%; differentiated 77%) and JUP in the basal and parabasal layers (basaloid 93%; differentiated 62%). Interestingly, even the basaloid type showed areas of alternating DSG1 positivity and negativity, reflecting keratinocyte maturation. Therefore, most cases of OIN appear to have the characteristics of well differentiated squamous epithelium.
Related Concept Videos
Desmosomes
Cellular Adaptation IV: Dysplasia and Metaplasia
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Structure of Cadherins
Abnormal Proliferation
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

