An etiological risk factor for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is continuous exposure of oral epithelia to growth factors, leading to uncontrolled growth and tumor invasion. Transforming Growth Factor ß (TGF- ß) is over-expressed in many types of cancers and correlates to tumor invasion. Three isoforms of TGF-ß ligands (1, 2 and 3) often signal for diverse yet completely opposing cellular functions. To date, the reports are contradictory about which isoform of TGF- ß is expressed in OSCCs. Moreover, it is not clear at which stage of OSCC development TGF- ß begins to express, and its role in OSCC carcinogenesis remains to be determined. Objective: In the present study, we have demonstrated that TGF- ß was frequently expressed in OSCC and adjacent tissues. Methods: Using paraffin-embedded human tissues, we studied normal, dysplastic, and OSCC biopsies of oral tissues from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry tissue bank. Results: Our results showed that while TGF- ß3 is expressed mostly in the basal and parabasal layers of the epithelial cells, TGF- ß1 is expressed in suprabasal and keratinized layers. There was no significant expression of TGF- ß2. A common function of TGF- ß2 is its expression in the epithelial cells that are undergoing fibroblastic/fibroblastoid transformation. The tissues samples used in this study were not undergoing transformation and therefore did not express TGF- ß2. Our findings are in accord with the roles of different isoforms of TGF- ß. Conclusion: Our study suggests that TGF- ß1 and TGF- ß3 play significant but separate roles in the progression of OSCC. This study was funded by the College of Dentistry Summer Research Fellowship 2005.

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