Immunohistochemical study of cell cycle proteins in lip photocarcinogenesis

• Grant number: 05/04427-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2006
• End date: December 31, 2006
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Marília Trierveiler Martins
• Grantee: Arthur Rodriguez Gonzalez Cortes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The expression of cell cycle proteins has been studied in skin lesions induced by UV radiation. In this context, the retinoblastoma pathway comprises a group of important proteins which have already been studied in several human cancers and potentially malignant lesions, including those related to the photocarcinogenesis process in the skin. It is known that many changes —like gene mutations and altered cytokeratins expression — are involved in the transition from the normal to the squamous cell carcinoma of the lip, and also that this transition involves the pathology so-called actinic cheilitis, considered as a stage that preceeds the squamous cell carcinoma at that site. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of the proteins p16, pRb, and cyclin D1, all proteins of the retinoblastoma pathway, by means of immunohistochemistry in squamous cell carcinoma cases and normal vermillion lip tissue.