Connexin subtype expression during oral carcinogenesis: A pilot study in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and connexin (Cx) expression were reported in association with carcinogenesis in various types of tumours. In an earlier histomorphometric study, the protein levels of Cx subtypes 26, 43 and 45 were differentially expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), corresponding lymph node metastases and dysplasia-free oral mucosa. Moreover, membrane Cx43 acted as an independent prognostic marker in OSCC tissues. This study aimed to confirm the expression of described Cx subtypes at the mRNA level. Hence, a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis of Cx26, Cx43 and Cx45 gene expressions was performed in paired carcinoma and mucosa samples of 15 OSCC patients. Additionally, we assessed the interaction between Cx subtype expression and clinicopathological routine parameters. The RT-qPCR analysis revealed that Cx26 was downregulated in OSCC (P=0.01), while Cx43 was marginally upregulated in cancer tissue (P=0.04). Cx45 was significantly overexpressed in OSCC tissue compared with the intraoral mucosa controls (P<0.01), and remained unchanged at different tumour stages. No significant interactions between differential Cx subtype expression and clinicopathological routine parameters were observed. In conclusion, Cx regulation at the transcriptional level appears to be an early event during the initiation and development of OSCC, and is maintained during further progression. However, the mRNA-protein correlation is variable. This may be indicative of post-transcriptional, translational and degradation regulations being associated with the determination of Cx protein concentration during oral carcinogenesis.