Expression of integrin beta1 in squamous cell carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of integrin beta1 in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and explore the relationship between stem cell marker and SCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expressions of integrin beta1 in SCC tissues and SCC cell strain A431 were detected with immunohistochemical methods and cell staining method. The differentiation of SCC cells were induced with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA). The changes of integrin beta1 levels before and after induction were detected with RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In highly differentiated SCC tissues, integrin beta1 was constantly expressed in the basal-like cells in the edge of tumor; some cells inside arranged as island also showed positive integrin beta1 expression. In poorly differentiated SCC tissues, island-like integrin beta1-positive cells remarkably increased and distributed in a diffuse way. In SCC A431 cells, integrin beta1 was expressed unevenly in tumor cells. After treatment by ATRA, level of integrin beta1 mRNA in A431 cells significantly decreased compared with untreated control (P < 0.05), and the ratios between the intensity values of integrin beta1 to beta-actin were 0.071 +/- 0.025 and 0.029 +/- 0.018 at 24 h and 48 h, respectively, whereas in controls were 0.148 +/- 0.027 and 0.136 +/- 0.011 (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Integrin beta1 is heterogeneously expressed in both SCC tissues and SCC A431 cells. The expression of Integrin beta1 decreases when the differentiation level of tumor cells increase, indicating that integrin beta1 is closely related with the initiation of SCC and potential cancer stem cells in SCC.</p>

Inhibition of promyelocytic leukemia gene by tazarotene in hyperproliferative epidermis of psoriasis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mechanism of tazarotene against active psoriasis vulgaris.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in 43 patients with active psoriasis vulgaris, who were divided into tazarotene and control groups. Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) mRNA in active psoriatic lesions before and 14 days after tazarotene treatment was detected by in situ hybridization.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PML mRNA expression was detected not only in the basal layer (86.96%), but also in the suprabasal layers of the epidermis in the manner of focal expression (78.26%). After tazarotene treatment, virtually no PML mRNA expression could be detected in the psoriatic lesions (8.69% in the basal layer and 4.35% in the suprabasal layers). PML mRNA expression in the control group underwent no obvious changes during the observation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Tazarotene may inhibit abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes through down-regulating PML gene expression in active psoriatic epidermis.</p>