Immunohistochemical Features of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Feline Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Feline oral squamous cell carcinoma (FOSCC) is an aggressive malignancy with invasive and metastatic behavior. It is poorly responsive to chemotherapy and radiation. Neoplastic epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) portends highly malignant behavior and enhances resistance to therapy. In transitioning to a more malignant phenotype, carcinoma stem cells undergo transformation mediated by expression of proteins, endowing them with mesenchymal properties advantageous to cell survival. The goal of the current study was to identify proteins associated with EMT in FOSCC. This study documents protein expression patterns in 10 FOSCC biopsies and 3 FOSCC cell lines (SCCF1, SCCF2, SCCF3), compatible with an EMT phenotype. As markers of EMT, P-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, nuclear transcription factors Twist and Snail, hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), programmed death ligand 1, and vascular endothelial growth factor D, as well as E-cadherin, were examined using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. P-cadherin, Twist, HIF-1 alpha, and programmed death ligand 1 were commonly expressed in biopsies and cell lines. N-cadherin, classically associated with EMT, was not highly expressed, and E-cadherin was coexpressed along with proteins characteristic of EMT in all specimens. Production of vascular endothelial growth factor A by cell lines, a process regulated by HIF-1 alpha expression, was suppressed by the small-molecule inhibitor dasatinib. These data are consistent with EMT in FOSCC and shed light on cellular changes that could contribute to the aggressive behavior of FOSCC.