Fig. 1

Transcriptomic and histological comparison between AM and OKC. A, B Heatmap of differentially expressed genes (DEG) between AM and OKC tissues. Significantly different genes (adj. p < 0.01, |Fold change| > 2) were labeled in red boxes. A L-type and P/Q type VGCCs were upregulated in AM, and N-type, R-type and T-type VGCCs showed a high deviation within a group. B LGR5 was enriched in AM, and KRT 5, 10, 14, 17, 20, and 27 were upregulated in OKC. C, D Hematoxylin and eosin staining performed on AM and OKC patient samples. AM epithelial island shows peripheral palisade cells surrounding a central area of stellate-shaped cells. The high magnification images demonstrate the nuclei displaced away from the basement membrane. The thin, regular lining of parakeratinized stratified squamous epithelium with palisading hyperchromatic basal cells (high magnification) was observed in the OKC sample. E In the immunofluorescence staining, CACNA1C was intensely expressed in CK14 positive peripheral cells of AM. F Moderate expression of CACNA1C was observed in the CK14-labeled basal layer of OKC. G The terminal differentiation marker CK10 is negatively expressed in the CACNA1C positive cell enriched region of AM. H Intensive expression of CK10 was observed in the supra-basal cell layer of OKC. I, J E-cadherin showed moderate expression in AM, and intensive expression in OKC. MMP-9 showed intensive expression in basal cell layer of AM, and negative expression in OKC. Nuclei were stained with TO-PRO-3 (TB3). K, L The stem cell marker LGR5 showed intensive expression in the peripheral cell layer of AM and showed negative expression in OKC. M, N Intense expression of β-catenin and location in nucleus (Arrow and arrowhead) were observed in peripheral layer of AM and it expressed in the adherence junctions in OKC. O, P Moderate expression of Axin2  in epithelial tumor mass of AM, and not observed in OKC. The white or black dotted lines represented the interface of the epithelium and mesenchyme tissues. Scale bar: C, D, 100 μm; E-J, 50 μm; K-P, 100 μm. ep epithelium, st stroma.