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Altered vitamin A‐binding proteins in carcinoma of the head and neck
Author(s) -
Gates Ronald E.,
Rees Riley S.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19851201)56:11<2598::aid-cncr2820561111>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - retinoic acid , cell growth , binding protein , cell , endocrinology , vitamin , retinol , epidermoid carcinoma , retinoid , medicine , carcinoma , pathology , cancer research , biology , cell culture , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Since vitamin A inhibits the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, elevated levels of cytoplasmic vitamin A‐binding proteins could explain the reduced tendency of squamous cell carcinomas to undergo terminal differentiation. The levels of cellular retinol‐binding protein (CRBP) and cellular retinoic acid‐binding protein (CRABP) were determined in 37 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and were compared with the corresponding levels in adjacent normal tissue. The CRBP levels expressed per milligram of DNA were increased threefold ( P = 0.0005) in the tumor as compared with normal tissue. In contrast, CRABP levels expressed per milligram were decreased 2.5‐fold ( P = 0.0007) in the tumor as compared with normal tissue. Despite significant differences in retinoid‐binding protein levels between tumor and adjacent normal tissue, there was no significant correlation of these differences with any of the patient clinical parameters or any of the tumor growth characteristics. The increased CRBP levels may explain why terminal differentiation, an important mechanism for limiting growth in normal keratinocytes, is less readily induced in squamous cell carcinomas.