Relation between the expression of mitotic centromere-associated kinesin and the progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

OBJECTIVE: Mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) is a microtubule depolymerase indispensable for microtubule binding during spindle formation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of MCAK expression with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT). STUDY DESIGN: Immunohistochemistry was used in 47 cases of SCCOT. Determination of proliferation and migratory capabilities was performed with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Transwell chamber assay, respectively, on cells from the human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113 that were transfected with MCAK small interfering RNA (siRNA). RESULTS: MCAK expression level in oral tongue cancer tissue is significantly higher (P < .01) than that of corresponding normal tissue. In addition, high expression of MCAK is significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P < .05) and tumor staging (P < .01). Moreover, gene silencing of MCAK suppresses proliferation and migration of Tca8113 cells (P < .05; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of MCAK may be associated with the progression of SCCOT.

Estrogen Increases c-Fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus along with its anorexic effect in developing rats.

Estrogen inhibits food intake in cycling females in a variety of species. To determine how the development of the anorexic system by estrogen is regulated, rat pups at four developmental stages, postnatal day 11 (P11)-13, P20-22, P25-27 and P29-31, and adult ovariectomized (OVX) rats received a daily subcutaneous injection of 20 µg/kg of estradiol benzoate (EB) or vehicle for three days. Food intake, body weight gain and immunohistochemical c-Fos expression in the brain were measured after each injection. EB treatment decreased both food intake and body weight gain from P27 onwards and significantly increased c-Fos expression in the parvocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (pPVN), which is coincident with its anorexic effect in developing rats. The pattern of EB-induced c-Fos activation in other feeding-related nuclei did not coincide with its anorexic effect in developing pups. However, in adult OVX rats, EB treatment increased c-Fos expression in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), and, to a lesser degree, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH). These results suggested that the pPVN is an essential site in the brain for controlling the anorexic effect of estrogen and that the feeding system of rat begins to respond to estrogen before the onset of puberty (P25-28).