Increased immunoexpression of trefoil factors in salivary gland tumors

OBJECTIVE: Very little is known about the role of trefoil factors (TFFs) in salivary gland tumors, and TFF immunoexpression has never been investigated in such tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate TFF immunoexpression in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Benign (n = 25) and malignant (n = 25) salivary gland tumor specimens were included in this study, using mucocele (n = 25) specimens as a control group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of TFFs (TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3) by semiquantitative means. RESULTS: Expression of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 was significantly increased in benign (p = 0.001, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, respectively) and malignant (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively) groups as compared with the control group. Patterns of co-expression between TFF1/TFF2, TFF2/TFF3, and TFF1/TFF3 were different among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided new information showing that all TFFs were significantly increased in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors, and overexpression of TFFs could be associated with neoplastic transformation in salivary gland tissues. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Overexpression of TFFs may be useful as biomarkers in terms of differential diagnosis between salivary gland tumors and other oral neoplasms for which clinical manifestations are indistinguishable

Increased immunoexpression of trefoil factors in salivary gland tumors

OBJECTIVE: Very little is known about the role of trefoil factors (TFFs) in salivary gland tumors, and TFF immunoexpression has never been investigated in such tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate TFF immunoexpression in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Benign (n = 25) and malignant (n = 25) salivary gland tumor specimens were included in this study, using mucocele (n = 25) specimens as a control group. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of TFFs (TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3) by semiquantitative means. RESULTS: Expression of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 was significantly increased in benign (p = 0.001, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, respectively) and malignant (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively) groups as compared with the control group. Patterns of co-expression between TFF1/TFF2, TFF2/TFF3, and TFF1/TFF3 were different among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided new information showing that all TFFs were significantly increased in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors, and overexpression of TFFs could be associated with neoplastic transformation in salivary gland tissues. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Overexpression of TFFs may be useful as biomarkers in terms of differential diagnosis between salivary gland tumors and other oral neoplasms for which clinical manifestations are indistinguishable

Evaluation of salivary mucins in children with deciduous and mixed dentition: comparative analysis between high and low caries-risk groups

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine levels of salivary mucins in children with deciduous and mixed dentition and to determine correlations between salivary mucins and dental caries status in two dentition stages. Materials and methods Saliva samples were collected from preschool children with deciduous dentition aged between 4 and 6 years (n = 60) and school children with mixed dentition aged between 9 and 11 years (n = 60). In each age group, the subjects were divided into two categories: high and low caries risk (n = 30 each). Salivary mucins (MUC5B and MUC7) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results There were no significant differences in MUC5B and MUC7 levels between high and low caries-risk groups in preschool children. Significantly increased MUC5B (p = 0.01) and decreased MUC7 (p = 0.04) levels in a low caries-risk group were demonstrated in school children. No significant correlations were observed between salivary mucins and dental caries in preschool children, whereas a significantly negative correlation (r = −0.29, p = 0.03) between MUC5B and the number of decayed teeth was observed in school children. Conclusion Patterns of salivary mucin expression in relation to dental caries were different between preschool and school children. The present findings suggest that changes in oral environment from deciduous to mixed dentition may affect the secretion of salivary mucins in response to dental caries. Clinical relevance The present study provides additional information that changes in oral environment from deciduous to mixed dentition stage possibly affect the secretion of salivary mucins in response to dental caries

Investigation of trefoil factor expression in saliva and oral mucosal tissues of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: The aims of our study were to determine levels of trefoil factor (TFF) peptides in saliva and oral mucosal tissues from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to evaluate whether individual members of TFFs (TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3) might act as biomarkers of disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Saliva samples were from 23 healthy subjects and 23 OSCC patients. Tissue samples were collected from 32 normal oral mucosa (NOM) and 32 OSCC biopsy specimens. ELISA and immunohistochemical methods were used to evaluate the expression of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 in saliva and oral mucosal tissues, respectively. RESULTS: Expression of TFF2 and TFF3 in oral mucosal tissues of OSCC patients was strongly downregulated when compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). However, there were no differences in levels of salivary TFF concentrations between OSCC patients and healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The present study extends previous observations, demonstrating the reduction of TFF2 and TFF3 expression in oral mucosal tissues of OSCC patients. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings suggest the clinical significance of TFF2 and TFF3 molecules as negative markers of tumor progression in OSCC. Quantification of TFF levels in saliva may not be optimal in terms of diagnostic or predictive value for OSCC derived from oral mucosa

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer is dependent on compatible mitochondrial DNA and reprogramming factors

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) involves the transfer of a nucleus or cell from one species into the cytoplasm of an enucleated oocyte from another. Once activated, reconstructed oocytes can be cultured in vitro to blastocyst, the final stage of preimplantation development. However, they often arrest during the early stages of preimplantation development; fail to reprogramme the somatic nucleus; and eliminate the accompanying donor cell’s mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in favour of the recipient oocyte’s genetically more divergent population. This last point has consequences for the production of ATP by the electron transfer chain, which is encoded by nuclear and mtDNA. Using a murine-porcine interspecies model, we investigated the importance of nuclear-cytoplasmic compatibility on successful development. Initially, we transferred murine fetal fibroblasts into enucleated porcine oocytes, which resulted in extremely low blastocyst rates (0.48%); and failure to replicate nuclear DNA and express Oct-4, the key marker of reprogramming. Using allele specific-PCR, we detected peak levels of murine mtDNA at 0.1460.055% of total mtDNA at the 2-cell embryo stage and then at ever-decreasing levels to the blastocyst stage (,0.001%). Furthermore, these embryos had an overall mtDNA profile similar to porcine embryos. We then depleted porcine oocytes of their mtDNA using 10 mM 29,39- dideoxycytidine and transferred murine somatic cells along with murine embryonic stem cell extract, which expressed key pluripotent genes associated with reprogramming and contained mitochondria, into these oocytes. Blastocyst rates increased significantly (3.38%) compared to embryos generated from non-supplemented oocytes (P,0.01). They also had significantly more murine mtDNA at the 2-cell stage than the non-supplemented embryos, which was maintained throughout early preimplantation development. At later stages, these embryos possessed 49.9962.97% murine mtDNA. They also exhibited an mtDNA profile similar to murine preimplantation embryos. Overall, these data demonstrate that the addition of species compatible mtDNA and reprogramming factors improves developmental outcomes for iSCNT embryos