Complex formations involving both SP-1 and SP-3 at the transcriptional regulatory sequence correlate with the activation of the Keratin 14 gene in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

We have previously reported that significantly higher levels of Keratin 14 (Ker-14) was observed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and severely dysplastic tissues, whereas this expression was reversed in hyperplasia and in mild to moderate dysplasia. In this study, the mechanism of Keratin 14 activation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines (HSC-2, HSC-3 and Ca9-22) was investigated. Reporter analysis demonstrated that an upstream region (- 1759/4629) accounted for efficient promoter activity. Furthermore, electromobility sift and supershift assay demonstrated that interactions of the SP-1/SP-3 complex at the elements resided in -1737/-1702 and -1680/-1652 and may be essential for this activation in OSCC cells.