Gene expression analyses associated with malignant phenotypes of metastatic sub-clones derived from a mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma Sq-1979 cell line.

To elucidate the genetic events that occur during the development of OSCC, the present study established a model of oral malignancy using a mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) Sq-1979 cell line. Sq-1979 cells were implanted into syngeneic C3H mice. Subsequently, 233 cells and metastatic sub-clones (L cells) from primary OSCC, as well as the metastasized lymph node tissues of Sq-1979-implanted mice were established. Compared with parental Sq-1979 and 233 cells, the majority of L cells exhibited a higher proliferation rate and transplantability, and conferred a lower survival rate on the implanted mice. To investigate the genetic background of L cells, preferentially expressed genes in L cells were identified by cDNA microarray and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses. The expression of FYN-binding protein (Fyb), solute carrier family 16 member 13 (Slc16a13), keratin 7, transmembrane portion 173 and Slc44a3 mRNAs was significantly elevated in L cells compared with that in Sq1979 and 233 cells. The mRNA expression was also evaluated in human OSCC and leukoplakia (LP) tissues. Among the 5 aforementioned mRNAs, the expression of FYB and SLC16A13 was significantly higher in OSCC than in LP tissues. Furthermore, the expression of SLC16A13 mRNA was significantly elevated in highly invasive OSCCs, which were classified as grades 3 and 4 by the Yamamoto-Kohama (YK) classification of invasion, compared with those in lower grades (YK-1 and -2). The model proposed in the present study could thus describe essential marker genes for the diagnosis of oral malignancies.