IMMUNO-HISTOKYMIC EXPRESSION OF ING PROTEINS IN ORAL EPITHELIAL DISPLASIA
ING; epithelium; biomarkers.
Potentially malignant disorders (PMD) are lesions that can affect the oral cavity and show a tendency to become malignant, with leukoplakia and erythroplakia being the most commonly seen. Epithelial dysplasia (ED) is characterized by the presence of microscopic cellular and / or architectural changes, which result from an accumulation of genetic alterations, and its degree is usually related to the severity and clinical evolution of the lesion. However, due to the subjectivity of the histological grading systems of the oral EDs, molecular biomarkers have been studied in order to more reliably aid in the prediction of malignant transformation risk. Among these biomarkers, some protein products derived from tumor suppressor genes, such as p53 and ING proteins, stand out. The ING family corresponds to a group of genes (ING 1-5) whose expression is altered or non-existent in several types of tumors, including epidermoid carcinomas in the head and neck region. Thus, the present work aims to evaluate the expression of the ING1 and ING2 proteins in lesions diagnosed as hyperkeratosis and ED (mild, moderate and severe), and to correlate the expression pattern observed with the degree of dysplasia and, consequently, with the its risk of malignant transformation.