Expression levels of INHBA are increased in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To explore the expression and significance of INHBA in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot methods were used to measure the expression levels of INHBA in 17 cases of normal skin (NS), 30 cases of actinic keratosis (AK) and 30 cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Results The immunohistochemical staining indicated that the positive staining of INHBA was brown-yellow particles in the cytoplasm/nucleus, with positive rates of 23.53%, 66.67% and 86.67%, respectively, in NS, AK and cSCC (χ2=27.10,P=0.001). The relative expression levels of INHBA mRNA in NS, AK and cSCC were 1.097±0.083, 1.328±0.041, 1.731±0.064, respectively (F=48.53, P<0.001). Moreover, expression levels of INHBA mRNA were higher in AK and cSCC groups than in NS group(P<0.05), while expression levels of INHBA mRNA in cSCC group were higher than that in AK group (P=0.002). The relative expression levels of INHBA protein in NS, AK and cSCC groups were 0.850±0.011, 0.925±0.020, 1.050±0.013, respectively (F=86.62,P<0.001 among groups). Similarly, the relative expression levels of INHBA protein in AK and cSCC groups were higher than that in NS group (both P<0.05), and expression levels of INHBA protein were higher in cSCC group than in AK group (P<0.001). Conclusion cSCC tissue exhibits higher expression levels of INHBA, which may be associated with the development of cSCC.

Keywords

• inhba
• actinic keratosis
• cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma