By using cDNA microarray containing 19.2 K clones and a baseline of 11 normal tissues, we compared 5 mild and 4 severe DS.
We identified 270 genes differentially expressed in normal tissue vs. mild DS (i.e. 161 up- and 109 down-regulated) and 181 genes differentially expressed in mild vs. severe DS (i.e. 63 up- and 118 down-regulated). The described genes cover a broad range of functional activities: (a) anti-oxidative, (b) DNA-repair, (c) inflammatory response, (d) cell-adhesion/mobility, (e) extracellular matrix depolimerization, and (f) cell-cycle regulation.
The data reported better define DS progression and can help in classifying premalignant lesions.