Loss of p12CDK2-AP1 Expression in Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Disrupted Transforming Growth Factor-β-Smad Signaling Pathway

We examined correlations between TGF-beta1, TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II, p12(CDK2-AP1), p21(WAF1), p27(KIP1), Smad2, and p-Smad2 in 125 cases of human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) to test the hypothesis that resistance to TGF-beta1-induced growth suppression is due to the disruption of its signaling pathway as a consequence of reduced or lost p12(CDK2-AP1). Immunoreactivity for TbetaR-II decreased in OSCC with increasing disease aggressiveness; however, no differences were observed for TbetaR-I and TGF-beta1. The expression of TbetaR-II significantly correlated with p12(CDK2-AP1) and p27(KIP1) (P < .001 and P < .01, respectively). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between TbetaR-II expression and p-Smad2 (P < .001). The in vivo correlation of the levels of TbetaR-II, p12(CDK2-AP1), and p27(KIP1) was confirmed in normal and OSCC cell lines. Additionally, in vitro analysis of TGF-beta1-treated cells showed that TGF-beta1 treatment of normal keratinocytes suppressed cell growth with upregulation of p-Smad2, p12(CDK2-AP1), and p21(WAF1) expression, whereas there was no effect on OSCC cell lines. These results provide evidence of a link between a disrupted TGF-beta-Smad signaling pathway and loss of induction of cell cycle-inhibitory proteins, especially p12(CDK2-AP1) in OSCC, which may lead to the resistance of TGF-beta1 growth-inhibitory effect on OSCC.