Objective:The purpose of this study was to detect the exon mutation of mismatch repair gene hMSH2 in tissues of oral squa- mous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and investigate the role of hMSH2 in the pathogenesis of OSCC.Methods:The mutations of hMSH2 exon 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 in the tissues of 30 human OSCC cases were analyzed using PCR-SSCP.Results:The six exons of hMSH2 were amplified successfully by using PCR technique, while no mutations in these exons were identified by using PCR-SSCP.Conclusion:The structure changes of hMSH2 exons in OSCC may be different from that in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC); the role of hMSH2 in carcinogenesis of OSCC needs to be evaluated further.
