Korean J Dermatol.  2014 Apr;52(4):230-236.

The Expression of c-Jun and JunB in Various Skin Tumors

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Dermatology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. snolomas@schmc.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
c-Jun along with JunB, JunD, and the Fos group proteins comprise the core members of the activator protein 1 (AP1) family of transcription factors. Recently, many studies have demonstrated the key roles of AP1 in regulating a wide spectrum of biological processes, including tumorigenesis. We therefore hypothesized that c-Jun and JunB influence the differentiation and malignant change of various skin tumors.
OBJECTIVE
We measured the expression levels of c-Jun and JunB in different skin tumors.
METHODS
The expressions of c-Jun and JunB were examined by performing the immunohistochemical staining of 55 specimens of skin tumors, including 13 cases of seborrheic keratosis, 4 cases of keratoacanthoma, 9 cases of actinic keratosis, 4 cases of Bowen's disease, 4 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 16 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, and 5 cases of malignant melanoma.
RESULTS
Immunohistochemical analysis of the skin tumor tissue samples revealed a significantly higher expression of c-Jun in malignant skin tumors (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma) than in benign (seborrheic keratosis, keratoacanthoma) or premalignant skin tumors (actinic keratosis, Bowen's disease). The expression of JunB, however, was significantly lower in malignant skin tumors than in benign skin tumors.
CONCLUSION
These findings showed that c-Jun has a positive association with skin malignancies, while JunB has a negative association with skin malignancies. The role of AP1 as key regulators of cell proliferation and epidermal tumor progression is suggested.

Keyword

AP1; c-Jun; JunB; Skin epidermal tumor

MeSH Terms

Biological Processes
Bowen's Disease
Carcinogenesis
Carcinoma, Basal Cell
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Cell Proliferation
Humans
Keratoacanthoma
Keratosis
Keratosis, Actinic
Keratosis, Seborrheic
Melanoma
Skin*
Transcription Factor AP-1
Transcription Factors
Transcription Factor AP-1
Transcription Factors
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