Changes in the expression of the potassium channels TASK1, TASK3 and TRESK in a rat model of oral squamous cell carcinoma and their relation to malignancy.

Objectives: Potassium channels have been proposed to promote cancer cell proliferation and metastases. Thus, we investigated the expression pattern of three 2-pore domain potassium channels (K2Ps) TASK1, TASK3 and TRESK in advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the commonest oral malignancy.

Design: We used 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) to induce high grade OSCC in male adult rats.

Deterioration of the Langerhans cell network of the human gingival epithelium with aging.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen-presenting cells responsible for initiating of the immune response. Langerhans cells (LCs) are a type of DC that is a permanent resident of the oral epithelium. LCs are organized conforming a network in such a way as to maximize their surface area for efficient apprehension of antigens.

Variation in Langerhans cell number and morphology between the upper and lower regions of the human esophageal epithelium.

Langerhans cells (LCs) are dendritic components of stratified epithelia, presenting antigens to other cells of the immune system that play a crucial role in local defense. The paucity of information about their significance in the esophageal mucosa was addressed by studying their distribution and morphology in this particular location. LCs were identified by immunohistochemical detection of CD1a, a cell-specific marker, using a monoclonal antibody, as well as by electron microscopic identification of characteristic Birbeck granules, among other typical morphological features.