Preliminary analysis of gene expression profiles in rat tongue carcinogenesis

Objective: To evaluate gene expression profile changes during the initiation and progression of tongue carcinogenesis by microarray so as to clarify underlying mechanism of oral carcinogenesis and to establish a good platform for future studies. Methods: The total of 18 Wistar rats origin in closed groups was used for animal model. Rats were sacrificed at 0, 9, 16, 32 week from the beginning of the experiment.The tissues of 4 different stages during 4-Nitroquinoline 1-Oxide (4NQO) induced carcinogenesis in the rat oral cavity were analyzed by microarray technology. According to pathological characteristics, these 4 stages were normal,mild epithelial dysplasia, severe dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinomas. Results: Administration of 4NQO in drinking water could produce a dynamic spectrum of precancerous and cancerous lesions in the dorsal side of the rat tongue. Comparing and analyzing the gene expression of 4 stages, we observed that some genes changed expression levels from normal to Mild epithelial dysplasia stage, this up or down tendency lasted to the stage of SCC.those genes may play an important role in tumor development. Conclusion: Neoplasma possess several biological characteristics that are multi-step and multi-gene carcinogenesis. Microarray technology provide a steady and reliable platform for oral cancer research.