Wikonkal NM, Berg RJ, van Haselen CW, Horkay I, Remenyik E, Begany A, Hunyadi J, van Vloten WA, de Gruijl FR. bcl-2 vs p53 protein expression and apoptotic rate in human nonmelanoma skin cancers.
Arch Dermatol 1997;
133:599-602. [PMID:
9158413]
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Abstract
BACKGROUND
A failure in the apoptotic response after severe genomic damage could facilitate cell transformation and tumor development, and a constitutive overexpression of either p53 or bcl-2 protein in nonapoptotic tumor cells could signify a defective bax-mediated apoptosis.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether a negative correlation occurs between these 2 proteins in nonmelanoma skin cancer and whether overexpression of either protein is associated with a low rate of spontaneous apoptosis.
DESIGN
Immunohistochemical study of nonmelanoma skin cancer archive material.
SETTING
University referral center.
PATIENTS
White patients with tumors on sun-exposed skin areas (ie, 17 basal cell carcinomas and 22 squamous cell carcinomas).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Positivity for p53 and bcl-2 were scored semiquantitatively on 4 levels, and the percentages of apoptotic cells were determined.
RESULTS
A significant negative correlation between p53 and bcl-2 expression was found in the basal cell carcinomas, but not in the squamous cell carcinomas, largely attributable to the low level of bcl-2 staining in the squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinomas have a significantly higher number of apoptotic cells than basal cell carcinomas: 1.1% vs 0.6%, respectively. This spontaneous apoptosis decreases with increasing bcl-2 (in basal cell carcinoma), whereas it does not appear to be related to p53 level expression.
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that a disturbance in either p53 or bcl-2 suffices to enhance skin tumor formation by suppressing apoptosis; bcl-2 appears to reduce the rate of spontaneous apoptosis, but an aberrant p53 expression does not, and this factor may solely affect the apoptosis from exogenous genotoxicity.
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