Functional analyses on DKK gene family in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

本研究旨在探讨DKK3基因在头颈部鳞状细胞癌中的作用。尽管DKK3被报道在多种肿瘤中发挥肿瘤抑制作用，但目前的研究结果与此相矛盾。在HNSCC中，DKK3mRNA和蛋白主要表达，与其他肿瘤不同，DKK3mRNA和蛋白的表达因启动子甲基化而减弱或丢失。生存分析显示，DKK3蛋白(-)患者的生存时间更长。在HNSCC细胞系中，siRNA下调DKK3mRNA，导致细胞迁移和侵袭减少。这些数据有力地暗示了DKK3在HNSCC中的矛盾作用。

In this research project, functions of DKK3 gene were investigated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Although DKK3 is reported to function as tumor suppressor in kinds of tumors, the present researches demonstrated contradict findings. In HNSCC, DKK3 mRNA and protein were dominantly expressed, unlike those in other cancers were attenuated or lost because of promoter methylation. Survival analyses revealed that DKK3 protein(-) patients showed longer survival. Knockdown of DKK3 mRNA by siRNA in HNSCC cell lines resulted in decreased cellular migration and invasion. All the data strongly imply the paradoxical function of DKK3 in HNSCC.