Differential gene expression profiles of whole lesions from patients with oral lichen planus

The molecular biological properties of oral lichen planus (OLP) are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the genes responsible for its pathogenesis at the genome scale using DNA microarray technology. The RNA samples extracted from the specimens of nine OLP patients and nine controls were analyzed with Affymetrix GeneChip. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was applied to confirm GeneChip results. A total of 985 differentially expressed genes (629 up-regulated and 356 down-regulated) were identified. These genes were involved in many function classifications and biochemical pathways. The results of quantitative RT-PCR analysis of FOXP3, VEGFA, ANGPT1, MMP1, and SCGB2A2 were consistent with their changes demonstrated by GeneChip. This study showed the gene expression profiles of OLP, which were quite distinct from that of healthy controls. These results presented a global view of physiopathologic processes in lesions, which will give important clues to understand pathogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets of OLP.