Original Article Diagnosis of Oral Cancer by Transglutaminase 2 (TG-2) Expression and its Clinical Significance

• Main Authors: Elva Lim, 林佳穎
• Other Authors: Shou-Yen Kao
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/t5kk6j

博士 === 國立陽明大學 === 牙醫學系 === 106 === Background: Glutamine has a very important role in the human body, including pH balance in an acidic environment, as well as supporting the TCA cycle in cancer cell growth. One from two of the isoforms in catabolism of glutamine is initiated by the kidney type glutaminase (GLS1). This GLS1 modulate cellular acidity by catalytic activities where produces ammonia and showed TG-2 is up-regulated, helps protect cells from acid-induced cell death and decrease cellular pH. However, the expression of transglutaminase-2 (TG-2) in oral cancer growth related to renal function is unknown. Here we examined TG-2 and its expression as a prognostic tool. Methods: Fifty-six oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues were collected with the inclusion of tumor in any region of oral area, and patients with creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) results. The tissues were stained using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a TG-2 antibody [N3C3], then observed under the microscope. The TG-2 expressions were calculated using Adobe Photoshop CS software and statistical analyses using SPSS ver. 21. Results: We found that TG-2 expression showed a significant difference in the expression levels between tumor and the adjacent groups without disease-free survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence with p<0.05. The average staining intensity with 25th percentile of TG-2 becomes a vital score for the diagnosis in OSCC. Furthermore, our study demonstrated a good prognosis outcome if the intensity score showed a higher difference in TG-2 expression between the adjacent and tumor tissue. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the only clinical study on TG-2 expression in OSCC and patient with good renal function, and it demonstrates that TG-2 can serve as a predictor of tumorigenesis and prognosis outcome.