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This study was performed to disclose the apoptotic behavior of ameloblastomas by analyzing the role of Bcl-2 family proteins in ameloblastomas and the location of terminally apoptotic cells in the ameloblastoma epithelial tissues. For immunohistochemistry, tissue sections of 32 patients were treated with antigen retrieval method. Primary antibodies against the apoptosis related proteins, Bcl-2, Bcl-X, Bax, and Bak were applied. Besides Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and TUNEL were also performed. Most of the outer layer cells were predominantly stained by the Bcl-2, while most of the inner layer cells were stained by antibodies against the apoptosis modulating proteins, Bax and Bak. The major Bcl-X protein was Bcl-XL. Some of the inner layer cells entered the terminal apoptotic stage, which were expressed by TUNEL. The acanthomatous areas overexpressed the apoptosis modulating proteins, especially Bak. Ameloblastoma has much more apoptosis inhibiting protein than the apoptosis modulating protein. Ameloblastoma has two relatively distinct patterns, an anti-apoptotic proliferating site in the outer layer (periphery) and a pro-apoptotic differentiating site in the inner layer (center). And the acanthomatous area, which was stained strongly by Bak and contained numerous terminally apoptotic cells was suggested as a differentiated area. |
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