Linked Life Data

8412198

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/8412198

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:dateCreated
1993-11-16
pubmed:abstractText
Head and neck cancer is a capricious disease that varies greatly in its clinical behavior. The development of biomarkers that can distinguish between biologically aggressive and indolent tumors has been a long term goal of our laboratories. Predictive markers applicable to biopsy specimens should facilitate clinical management through early identification of patients at greatest risk for early relapse or metastatic spread. Two prominent cell surface markers that we identified by raising monoclonal antibodies to squamous cell carcinomas are blood group antigens and the A9 antigen/alpha 6 beta 4 integrin. Both of these markers are abnormally displayed in squamous cancers of the head and neck and serve as indicators of early relapse. Loss of blood group antigen expression is a stronger single indicator than is overexpression of the alpha 6 beta 4 integrin. However, use of both markers together is a stronger predictive indicator than is either alone. We know little about the function of the blood group antigens in squamous cells except that the mature antigens are associated with differentiation. Similarly, the function of the alpha 6 beta 4 integrin is also not fully understood. Integrin alpha 6 beta 4 is thought to serve as an extracellular matrix receptor, but its ligand has not been confirmed. In resting epithelium, the alpha 6 beta 4 integrin is polarized to the basal aspect of the basal cell as a component of the hemidesmosome, the anchoring structures of the epithelia. This basal polarization is lost in migrating normal squamous cells and squamous carcinomas. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the beta 4 subunit is absent or greatly reduced in malignant cells and this may be a critical signal for subcellular localization of alpha 6 beta 4 and cell anchoring. On the basis of our current experimental results, we postulate that tyrosine phosphorylation of the beta 4 subunit is a reversible signal that regulates cell migration in normal and malignant cells, and may therefore be an important initial event in the metastatic cascade.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0733-1959
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
17F
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
223-32
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1993
pubmed:articleTitle
Blood group antigens and integrins as biomarkers in head and neck cancer: is aberrant tyrosine phosphorylation the cause of altered alpha 6 beta 4 integrin expression?
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Cancer Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0506.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't