Creation of new cancer treatment methods and analysis of cancer invasion and metastasis mechanism through delta-Np63 and microRNA

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K21246
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry; Pathobiological dentistry/Dental radiology
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Goto Yuichi 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域歯学系, 助教 (00637902)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ΔNp63 / OSCC / miR205 / micro RNA / ZEB1 / EMT / ZEB2

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the process of development, recently it has been revealed that it also plays an important role in invasion and metastasis of cancer. We have shown that EMT is induced by suppressing the expression of ΔNp63β, a splicing variant of ΔNp63, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Furthermore, recent findings suggest that microRNA (miRNA) is involved in the molecular mechanism. We found that miR-205 plays an important role downstream of ΔNp63 and regulates its expression by targeting mesenchymal markers such as ZEB1 and ZEB2, which are associated with EMT.

Free Research Field

口腔外科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

上皮系癌である口腔扁平上皮癌の浸潤・転移の分子メカニズムの一端を明らかにした。癌の転移は生命予後を左右する重要な事象で有るが、そのコントロールは出来ていない。浸潤・転移の分子メカニズムの全容が解明されることにより、その治療戦略が大きな転換点を迎える可能性があり、増加する口腔がんの治療戦略へ一石を投じることが出来る。