Transgenic mice expressing constitutively active Akt in oral epithelium validate KLFA as a potential biomarker of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common human neoplasia, of poor prognosis and survival, which frequently displays Akt overactivation. Previously, we reported that mice expressing high levels of constitutively, Akt activity, (myrAkt) in oral epithelia develop lesions and tumors in the oral cavity. Materials and Methods: Functional genomics of primary, keratinocytes from different transgenic mouse lines and immunostaining of mouse and human samples were performed in order to identify, and validate putative biomarkers of oral cancer progression. Results: The expression of KLF4 was found to be increased only in tumor prone samples from mice bearing overactivation of Akt. Such increased expression was confirmed in oral dysplasias and tumors arising in those mice. Tissue microarray analysis of human samples confirmed the association between active Akt and increased KLF4 expression. Conclusion: These data support the notion that KLF4 is potentially a reliable marker of HNSCC, and that myrAkt transgenic mice are valuable tools for preclinical research of HNSCC.