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Simple Summary: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignancy of all salivary neoplasms, and no effective treatment strategy for MEC has been established other than resection. In this study, we showed that Purkinje cell protein (PCP) 4/peptide (PEP) 19 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are predicted to play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of MEC. The detection of PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 may be useful for providing more effective treatments against MEC. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is one of the most common malignant salivary gland carcinomas, but no effective treatment strategy has been established other than surgical resection. Purkinje cell protein (PCP) 4/peptide (PEP) 19 is a calmodulin-binding antiapoptotic peptide that is expressed and inhibits apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an epidermal growth factor that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many carcinomas, particularly breast and gastric carcinomas. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical analyses of samples from 73 patients who underwent surgical resection for MEC of the salivary gland using antibodies against PCP4/PEP19 and HER2. PCP4/PEP19 expression was related to better prognosis, while HER2 expression was associated with worse prognosis. Patients that were PCP4/PEP19-positive and HER2-negative showed similar outcomes to PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 alone. Therefore, PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 are predicted to play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of MEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

26,26,26,27,27,27-Hexafluoro-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D[sub 3] (ST-630) is a newly developed agent to maintain the levels of calcium and phosphorus in blood. Herein, we investigated the effect of this compound on the expression of vitamin-D-responsive genes in vitamin-D-deficient mice. ST-630 was more effective than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D[sub 3] [1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] ] with respect to the induction of Cyp24 and calbindin-D[sub 9k] mRNAs in the kidney and in the small intestine. Moreover, the increase in mRNA levels of vitamin-D-responsive genes induced by ST-630 lasted longer than that induced by 1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] . These results indicate that ST-630 was more effective in inducing Cyp24 and calbindin-D[sub 9k] gene expression than 1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] when both compounds were injected into vitamin-D-deficient mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]