Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase upregulation inversely correlates with lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) 2007 Jun 11; In press
Sartini D D, Santarelli A A, Rossi V V, Goteri G G, Rubini C C, Ciavarella D D,
Institute of Biochemical Biotechnologies, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
We investigated expression levels of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT), enzyme involved in the biotransformation of many drugs and xenobiotic compounds, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Measurements were performed by semiquantitative RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR in tumour and matched adjacent healthy tissue. Interestingly, NNMT was upregulated in most of the favourable OSCCs, while no marked NNMT expression alterations between tumour and normal mucosa were detected in most of the unfavourable OSCCs. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses were also performed and the relationship between tumour characteristics and NNMT levels in OSCC were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of NNMT as a prognostic marker in the squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. In summary, the present study suggests that NNMT may have a potential as a biomarker and a therapeutic target for OSCC.