Imbalanced expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases in lung squamous cell carcinoma

摘要

Objective:Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are correlated with a more malignant phenotype in many cancers.This study was designed to evaluate the predictive value of the expression of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK 1/2),as the key regulatory mechanism of the MAPKs,in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).Methods:We assessed the expressions of MKP-1 and p-ERK 1/2 in twenty subjects at different differentiation degree of SCC and five normal lungs by immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis.Results:Immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR assay showed that the expression of MKP-1 was gradually decreased as tissue type went from normal lung tissues to increasingly undifferentiated carcinoma,and it was negatively correlated with tumor differentiation (P<0.01).However,the expression of p-ERK 1/2 or ERK 1/2 was gradually increased as tissue type went from normal lung tissues to increasingly undifferentiated carcinoma,and it was positively correlated with tumor differentiation (P<0.01).Conclusions:Our data indicates the relevance of MKP-1 and p-ERK 1/2 in SCC as a potential positive and negative prognostic factor.The imbalanced expression of MKP-1 and p-ERK 1/2 may play a role in the development of SCC and these two molecules may be new targets for the therapy and prognosis of SCC.