The interplay of MMP-8, TGF-β1 and VEGF-C cooperatively contributes to the aggressiveness of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

The study aimed to resolve the mechanisms of protective actions of MMP-8 in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The experiment compares the gene expression levels of control and MMP-8 overexpressing human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells (HSC-3) in stationary and migrating phenotype. 90 000 HSC-3 cells were cultured in 6-well plates (three replicates) with and without wounding the cell layer. The RNA samples from three different plates of each cell lines (wounded +/-) were pooled and the changes in gene expressions were analyzed.