Possible interaction between Wnt pathway and homeobox genes expression and its relationship with angiogenic factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

• Grant number: 10/51502-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2011
• End date: January 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Francisco Gorgônio Nóbrega
• Grantee: Francisco Gorgônio Nóbrega
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOSJC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Anti-angiogenic therapies targeting VEGF have shown to be promising in anti-cancer treatment strategies, suggesting the existence of interations between endothelial cells and tumor cells. This interaction can be resulting from the activation of different signaling pathways, such as Wnt. The hypothesis that genes related to embriogenesis are involved in the carcinogenesis, such as homeobox genes, has been investigated in the literature. Thus, the present study aim to evaluate a possible relationship between Wnt pathway, VEGF and homeobox genes expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Two oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (UMSCC14A and14B) and one human oral fibroblast will be cultivated and expose to condicioned medium from endothelial cells. The expression level and the inhibition of VEGF will be analyzed by ELISA, and its effect in the proliferation and invasion of the tumor cells will be evaluated by the sulforodamin B method and invasion assays respectively. To analyze if the blockage of the Wnt pathway has an impact on the endothelial or tumor cell-secreted VEGF, the Wnt will be blocked by DKK1 protein, and the expression of b-catenin evaluated by Western blot. These data will be correlated to the quatitative expression of 84 homeobox genes. (AU)