Differential display of mRNA was used to identify the genes differentially expressed in human head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (PCI-06A) transfected with either the antisense c-raf-1 cDNA (PCI-06A-Raf(AS)), or a portion of cDNA coding for the kinase domain of Raf-1 (PCI-06A-Raf(K)).
Since these activated receptors communicate with the nucleus via a signaling pathway in which c-Raf-1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), and the extracellular signal-regulated kinases are sequentially activated, we determined the effect of a specific MEK1 inhibitor (PD 098059) on urokinase expression in two squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (UM-SCC-1 and MDA-TU-138) characterized as avid secretors of the plasminogen activator.