Study Of MUC4 In Oral Verrucous Carcinoma

Objective:To study the expression of MUC4 in oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC), so as to investigate its role in the development of OVC.Methods:1.4 cases of OVC were studied and 3 specimens taken from every case, containing tumor tissue, adjacent tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue, were tested MUC4 mRNA expression by real-time RT-PCR.2. By immunohistochemistry, MUC4 protein expression was studied in 18 OVCs, oral squamous carcinomas (OSCC) and 14 normal mucosas (NM), and the relation between protein expression and clinopathologic features was also studied.Results:1. MUC4 mRNA in tumor/adjacent tumor tissue was significantly lower expressed than adjacent normal tissue (p<0.05).2. MUC4 protein in OVC/OSCC was significantly higher than NM(p<0.05), no significant difference was found among different types of tumor (p>0 .05)Conclusions:1. The inhibition of MUC4 in transcription level might be due to the hypermethylation of DNA promoter, and its down-expression pattern of mRNA may play an important role in carcinogenesis of OVC.2. MUC4 protein was up-expressed in OVC and OSCC, it may take part in the development of tumor.