Overexpression of phosphorylated-ATF2 and STAT3 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease and basal cell carcinoma

摘要

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Bowen's disease (BD) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are the most frequently occurring tumors of the skin, but theirprecise molecular pathogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, activation of activating transcription factor-2 (ATF2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) are examined in these common cutaneous malignancies because extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and AP-1 have been shown to play important roles in the development of SCC and/or BCC [1-3], and ATF2- and STAT3-pathways could be significantly related to these transcription-associated molecules. Activation of both ATF2- and STAT3-pathways has been suggested in several tumors, such as breast cancer, melanoma or eccrine gland tumors [4-6], but ATF2 activation and the relationship with STAT3activation have not yet been well-investigated in cutaneous SCC, BD and BCC.