Immunohistochemical expression of polo-like kinase 1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral submucous fibrosis

• Main Authors: Joseph, L. (Author), Pandian, S. (Author), Raj, S. (Author), Vittal, K. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Medknow Publications 2018
• Subjects: biological marker; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor; cancer grading; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; case control study; Case-Control Studies; cell cycle protein; Cell Cycle Proteins; cell signaling; disease exacerbation; Disease Progression; enzymology; gene expression; histochemistry; human; Humans; metabolism; mouth disease; Mouth Neoplasms; mouth tumor; Neoplasm Grading; oncoprotein; Oral Submucous Fibrosis; polo-like kinase 1; protein serine threonine kinase; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; squamous cell carcinoma; tumor marker
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Context: Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a critical molecule in the proliferation of several human cancers. Overexpression of PLK1 has been correlated with cancer cell proliferation and lower overall survival rates. Although PLK1 has been studied in various tumors, information regarding its expression in oral cancer and precancer is limited. Aims: This study is aimed at evaluating the expression of PLK1 in a potentially malignant and malignant disorder of the oral cavity, namely, oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), respectively, using the immunohistochemistry technique. It also intended to evaluate the association of the various histological grades of OSCC with the intensity of PLK1 expression. Subjects and Methods: Thirty OSMF, thirty OSCC tissues, and thirty control tissues were obtained, and the expression of PLK1 was detected by immunohistochemistry using rabbit antihuman PLK1 polyclonal antibodies (Abcam Ab47867). The association between staining intensity and histological grade of OSCC was evaluated. Statistical Analysis Used: Using SPSS 20 version, a test for proportions, nonparametric Chi-square/correlation analysis was used to compare differences in proportions of categorical variables of interest between groups. Results: PLK1 was positively expressed in 27 (90%) OSCC tissues. OSMF showed no detectable staining in 27 (90%) tissues and positive staining in 3 (10%) tissues. PLK1 showed no staining (0%) in normal tissues. Statistically significant associations were not found between staining intensity and histological grade of OSCC. Conclusions: PLK1 could be a promising progression marker for OSCC. Therapeutically, targeting PLK1 may be a new approach to fight oral cancer. © 2018 Indian Journal of Dental Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.