About the Authors

Takayuki Imai

Affiliations Division of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Miyagi Cancer Center, Natori, Miyagi, Japan, Cancer Pathology, Department of Cancer Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Keiichi Tamai

Affiliations Division of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan, Cancer Pathology, Department of Cancer Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Sayuri Oizumi

Affiliation Division of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Kyoko Oyama

Affiliation Division of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Kazunori Yamaguchi

Affiliations Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan, Cancer Pathology, Department of Cancer Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Ikuro Sato

Affiliation Department of Pathology, Miyagi Cancer Center, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Kennichi Satoh

Affiliation Cancer Stem Cell, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Kazuto Matsuura

Affiliation Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Miyagi Cancer Center, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Shigeru Saijo

Affiliation Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Miyagi Cancer Center, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Kazuo Sugamura

Affiliation Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan

Nobuyuki Tanaka

tanaka@med.tohoku.ac.jp

Affiliations Division of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Miyagi, Japan, Cancer Pathology, Department of Cancer Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: TI KS NT. Performed the experiments: TI SO KO. Analyzed the data: TI KT KY IS K. Satoh KM SS. Wrote the paper: TI K. Sugamura NT.