Association of p62/SQSTM1 excess and oral carcinogenesis.

p62/SQSTM1 (sequestosome1) has never been evaluated in oral epithelium. In order to clarify the role of p62/SQSTM1 in carcinogenesis in oral epithelium, both p62/SQSTM1 and Nrf2 were immunohistochemically evaluated in 54 carcinomas and 14 low grade dysplasias. p62/SQSTM1 knockdowns were also designed in oral cancer cells, and we analyzed the Nrf2 pathway, GSH contents and ROS accumulation. The association between p62/SQSTM1 excess and prognosis was addressed in a clinical cohort of oral carcinoma cases. p62/SQSTM1 excess was more obvious in carcinomas, but Nrf2 was abundant in almost all samples of the oral epithelium. In oral carcinoma cells, p62/SQSTM1 knockdown did not affect the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway but did significantly reduce GSH content with subsequent ROS accumulation, and caused cell growth inhibition in the irradiated condition. Finally, p62/SQSTM1 excess was associated with poor prognosis in a clinical cohort. In oral epithelial carcinogenesis, p62/SQSTM1 excess played a role in GSH induction rather than Nrf2 accumulation, and may cause resistance to cytotoxic stresses such as radiation or chemotherapy. Immunohistochemical evaluation of p62/SQSTM1 may be a potential significant marker to identify early carcinogenesis, chemo-radiotherapeutic resistance or poor prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Preparation of mouse monoclonal antibody for RB1CC1 and its clinical application.

RB1-inducible coiled-coil 1 (RB1CC1; also known as FIP200) plays important roles in several biological pathways such as cell proliferation and autophagy. Evaluation of RB1CC1 expression can provide useful clinical information on various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. In order to realize the clinical applications, it is necessary to establish a stable supply of antibody and reproducible procedures for the laboratory examinations. In the present study, we have generated mouse monoclonal antibodies for RB1CC1, and four kinds of antibodies (N1-8, N1-216, N3-2, and N3-42) were found to be optimal for clinical applications such as ELISA and immunoblots and work as well as the pre-existing polyclonal antibodies. N1-8 monoclonal antibody provided the best recognition of RB1CC1 in the clinico-pathological examination of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. These monoclonal antibodies will help to generate new opportunities in scientific examinations in biology and clinical medicine.

RECQL1 and WRN proteins are potential therapeutic targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

RECQL1 and WRN proteins are RecQ DNA helicases that participate in suppression of DNA hyper-recombination and repair. In this study, we report evidence supporting their candidacy as cancer therapeutic targets. In hypopharyngeal carcinomas, which have the worst prognosis among head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) that are rapidly rising in incidence, we found that RECQL1 and WRN proteins are highly expressed and that siRNA-mediated silencing of either gene suppressed carcinoma cell growth in vitro. Similarly, siRNA administration in a murine xenograft model of hypopharyngeal carcinoma markedly inhibited tumor growth. Moreover, combining either siRNA with cis-platinum (II) diammine dichloride significantly augmented the in vivo anticancer effects of this drug that is used commonly in HNSCC treatment. Notably, we observed no recurrence of some tumors following siRNA treatment in this model. Our findings offer a preclinical proof of concept for RECQL1 and WRN proteins as novel therapeutic targets to treat aggressive HNSCC and perhaps other cancers.