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Published on: May 1, 2015
Expression profile of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Data from Brazilian
Ana Elizia Mascarenhas Marques1, Gabriel Alvares Borges1, Carlos Henrique Viesi do Nascimento Filho2
1Laboratory of Oral Histopathology, Health Sciences Faculty, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; Epithelial Biology Laboratory, Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, Division of Oral Pathology, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objective:
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of the rapamycin (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) signaling pathway is an important regulator of cell proliferation, survival, and motility. The gain or loss of function of proteins related to this pathway results in the neoplastic transformation in several types of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the expression profile of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and HNSCC cell lines.
Study Design:
The study involved 26 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from patients with HNSCC. The analysis of immunohistochemical expression of PI3K, AKT, p-mTOR, and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) proteins was performed by a quantitative assessment. The in vitro gene and protein expression evaluation was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assay, respectively, in the human cell lines SCC-9 and FaDu.
Results:
High levels of PI3K, AKT, and p-mTOR were found in most HNSCC tumors. Following this result, we observed low amounts or absence of PTEN in most samples. Additionally, the FaDu cells (pharynx) showed higher AKT expression but lower expression of p-mTOR compared with SCC-9 cells (oral cavity), which hints at a loco-anatomical relevance.
Conclusion:
Overall, this study found increased expression of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway along with evident PTEN reduction in head and neck cancer.
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