OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association between mRNA levels, polymorphisms of Kallikrein7 (KLK7) and Kallikrein10 (KLK10), and the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 217 OSCC patients and 138 healthy controls. All were men, betel quid chewers, cigarette smokers, and Minnan ethnicity.
Genotyping was performed using a TaqMan_probe genotyping assay. Gene expression levels were determined using real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for 20 pairs of cancerous and non-cancerous tissues.
RESULTS: Kallikrein10 rs3745535G>T polymorphisms were significantly associated with OSCC development [adjusted OR (AOR) = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.02–2.59], but KLK7 polymorphisms were not. The KLK7 rs10581213 (wt/ins + ins/ins) genotypes were significantly associated with early-stage cancer (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.14–0.78), but KLK10 polymorphisms were not. Relative expression analysis indicated that an increase in KLK7 and KLK10 mRNA levels was found in cancerous tissues (2_DDCT = 25.23 _ 8.85 and 10.89 _ 4.97, respectively).
A significantly higher level of KLK7 was expressed in early-stage cancer with the rs10581213(wt/ins + ins/ins) genotypes, but there was no significant difference in the mRNA levels of KLK7 and KLK10 between early- and advanced-stage cancers.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first correlation of OSCC with KLK10 rs3745535G>T polymorphisms. Early-stage OSCC and high KLK7 mRNA levels were correlated with the rs10581213(wt/ins + ins/ins) genotypes. More studies with large sample sizes are needed to verify our findings.
