Macrophage inflammatory prote in -3α (M1P-3a 01' CCL20) is an intr땅uing molecule in CanCel‘ irrununotherapy‘ but M1P-3 a expr ession and signaling are not well under s tood in oral cancer cell s. We investigated CCL20 expression a nd signal trans duction by treating immortal ized hllman oral keratinocyte (IHO찌 and oral ca ncer (뻐 4) cells with defe roxa llline (DFO) and examined the mRNA express ion 01' CCL20 using RT- PCR and ELI8A. lHOK and HN4 cells treated with DFO sbowed increased mRNA and protein expression 01' CCL20. and the upregulation 01' DFO-induced CCL20 expression was higher in IHOK cells than in HN4 cells 8elective inhibitors of p38 and ERKl/2 abol ished DF'O- induced CCL20 expression in both lHOK and HN12 cells. and p38 and ERKl/2 inhibitors prevented DFO- induceddegradati on 01' 1 -κ B and NF'-K B activation. Activation 01' c-fos and c-jun also occmred fo l lowing DFO treatment in IHOK and HN4 cells Collectively, these results suggest that DFO-indllced M1 P- 3a. which is involved in the MAP kinase‘ c-fos, c-jun, and NF-K B pathways, may be an important mediator of the a ntitumor immune response in oral keratinocytes ancl warrants con sideration as a target molecule for oral cancer t reatment