Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Modeling Oral-Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in 3D Organoids
Published on: December 23, 2022
Overexpression of p21-activated kinase 2 is correlated with high-grade oral squamous cell carcinomas
Yao Xiao1, Wei-Wei Deng1, Lei-Lei Yang1
1The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China.
Aim:
p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) is overexpressed in several tumors but the expression of PAK2 in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) remains unclear.
Materials & Methods:
Immunohistochemistry was performed on human tissue microarrays containing 165 primary OSCC, 48 oral epithelial dysplasia and 43 normal oral mucosa.
Results:
PAK2 expression was increased in primary OSCC compared with normal mucosa and significantly increased in primary OSCC grade III compared with grade I, but independent of overall survival rate. Moreover, the expression of PAK2 was statistically correlated with Lck/Yes novel tyrosine kinase (LYN), zinc finger transcription factor Slug, tumor-associated macrophage marker CD163 and LAG3.
Conclusion:
Overexpression of PAK2 in OSCC may be associated with an advanced pathology grade.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Kinases and Phosphatases
Protein kinases
Many proteins in the cell are regulated by phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group. A family of enzymes called kinases...
Protein Kinases and Phosphatases
Correlations
Correlation and Causation
Correlation versus Causation
If the dependent variable increases or decreases when the independent variable increases, there is a positive or negative...
Graded Potential
Graded potentials fall into two categories: depolarizing and hyperpolarizing. Depolarizing graded potentials typically occur when sodium (Na+) or...
Correlation
Two variables, for example, a and b, are said to be positively correlated if both variables move in the same direction. In other words, a positive correlation exists between two variables, a and b, if:

