Chen PK, et al. - Using immunohistochemical scores, researchers explored the expression patterns of ALPK1 in 39 matched oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the most common malignant cancer with high mortality rates in advanced stages, patients and investigated the association between ALPK1 protein expression and clinicopathologic factors. Using Western blot analysis, expression of ALPK1 in tumor tissues was found to be significantly higher than in nontumor tissues. The expression of ALPK1 protein in malignant oral cancer cell lines was aberrant compared to the expression in pre-malignant oral epithelial cells, while minimal expression in normal oral epithelial cells was seen. The knockdown of ALPK1 led to a significant reduction in cell growth, migration and in vitro invasion capacity. As a result, the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin in ALPK1-deficient cells decreased. The findings suggested that ALPK1 is a potential biomarker and target for the development of OSCC in late stages.