We conclude that CTSB expression may be useful for determining OSCC prognosis, particularly for patients with lymph node metastasis, and may function as a biomarker of the survival of OSCC patients in Taiwan.
We further studied the expression of cathepsin B in a series of 169 clinical samples, including 56 invasive cervical squamous carcinoma, 85 CINs and 28 normal cervical tissues.
Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR showed elevated Cathepsin B protein and mRNA levels in the tumour tissues over the adjacent non-malignant epithelia from OSCC patients.
For RNA-mediated inhibition, two ribozymes that target CB mRNA were designed and stably expressed in the oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line 1386Tu.
These studies demonstrate that the invasive properties of squamous-cell carcinomas can be changed by modulation of the balance between cathepsin B and its endogenous inhibitors, and provide further evidence for the involvement of this lysosomal cysteine proteinase in tumour invasion and metastasis.