Study on regulation of serine protease activity in carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K18483
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57020:Oral pathobiological science-related
• Research Institution: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: Koji Yamamoto 宮崎大学, 医学部, 医員 (50776953)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 口腔癌 / OPMD / セリンプロテアーゼ / HAI

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oral cancer development is a complex, multi-step process that goes through oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) such as leukoplakia, erythema, and lichen planus. The purpose of this study is to search for new useful markers in the pathological diagnosis of OPMD by confirming and evaluating HAI (HGF activator inhibitor) and target molecules that are thought to be controlled by HAI with normal mucosa and OPMD.
As a result, prostasin expression was decreased in OPMD and invasive cancer compared with normal epithelium. The decrease was also associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Free Research Field

口腔癌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

口腔癌においてprostasinががん抑制因子として機能することを初めて報告した。また、口腔軟細胞におけるprostasinの喪失は、上皮間葉転換を引き起こすことで腫瘍の浸潤性獲得に寄与していることが示唆された。免疫組織学的な検討では正常口腔粘膜上皮の染色性と比較し、上皮異形成ではprostasinの発現が低下しており、prostasinが口腔上皮の腫瘍性進行の病理診断マーカーとして役立つ可能性がある。