Altered desmoplakin expression at transcriptional and protein levels provides prognostic information in human oropharyngeal cancer.

Desmoplakin, a desmosomal component, is a key protein involved in cell-cell adhesion. Down-regulation of desmosomal proteins is associated with the invasive and metastatic ability of tumor cells. We examined 37 cases of human primary oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas lacking overt distant metastases to gain further insights on the potential role of desmoplakin in oral cancer.

Altered plakoglobin expression at mRNA and protein levels correlates with clinical outcome in patients with oropharynx squamous carcinomas.

Previous studies have established that expression of plakoglobin is down-regulated during malignant transformation. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the expression of plakoglobin at the mRNA and protein levels in primary oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and determine the extent to which the patterns of expression correlated with clinical parameters. Plakoglobin expression was evaluated in 37 new tumor cases and normal oral epithelium using immunofluorescence, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Northern and Western blotting analysis.

Immunohistochemical localization of plakophilins (PKP1, PKP2, PKP3, and p0071) in primary oropharyngeal tumors: correlation with clinical parameters.

Plakophilins (PKPs) are members of the armadillo multigene family. Armadillo-related proteins function in both cell adhesion and signal transduction, and also play a central role in tumorigenesis. Here we report the immunohistochemical localization of PKPs in 37 cases of human primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx lacking overt distant metastases that were followed clinically for 3 years.