scholarly journals A panel of Transcription factors identified by data mining can predict the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boxin Zhang ◽  
Haihui Wang ◽  
Ziyan Guo ◽  
Xinhai Zhang

Abstract Background Transcription factors (TFs) are responsible for the regulation of various activities related to cancer like cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. It is thought that, the measurement of TFs levels could assist in developing strategies for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer detection. However, due to lack of effective genome-wide tests, this cannot be carried out in clinical settings. Methods A complete assessment of RNA-seq data in samples of a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cohort in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was carried out. From the expression data of six TFs, a risk score model was developed and further validated in the GSE41613 and GSE65858 series. Potential functional roles were identified for the six TFs via gene set enrichment analysis. Results Based on our multi-TF signature, patients are stratified into high- and low-risk groups with significant variations in overall survival (OS) (median survival 2.416 vs. 5.934 years, log-rank test P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity evaluation of our multi-TF for 3-year OS in TCGA, GSE41613 and GSE65858 was 0.707, 0.679 and 0.605, respectively, demonstrating good reproducibility and robustness for predicting overall survival of HNSCC patients. Through multivariate Cox regression analyses (MCRA) and stratified analyses, we confirmed that the predictive capability of this risk score (RS) was not dependent on any of other factors like clinicopathological parameters. Conclusions With the help of a RS obtained from a panel of TFs expression signatures, effective OS prediction and stratification of HNSCC patients can be carried out.

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Fen Chen ◽  
Ming-Shao Tsai ◽  
Wen-Cheng Chen ◽  
Ping-Tsung Chen

This study assessed the significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and the relationships of the NLR with the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) level in tumors and the proportion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the peripheral circulation. In total, 227 HNSCC patients who had received curative treatment at our hospital were enrolled into the present study. The NLR of each HNSCC patient before treatment was calculated. The associations of NLR with various clinicopathological parameters and prognoses were then examined. In addition, correlations between the proportion of MDSCs and level of ALDH1 with the NLR were assessed. Our data revealed that an elevated NLR was significantly correlated with the risk of developing locoregional recurrence and with a reduced overall survival in HNSCC patients. Multivariate analyses revealed that the NLR pretreatment and surgical resection were significantly correlated with the rate of treatment failure and the overall survival rate in HNSCC patients. Furthermore, the levels of ALDH1 in tumors and MDSCs in the peripheral circulation were significantly correlated with the prognosis of HNSCC, and the NLR was positively correlated with MDSC levels in the circulation and ALDH1 staining intensity in tumor specimens. In conclusion, the NLR has power in predicting the expression of ALDH1 in tumors, the circulating level of MDSCs, and the prognosis in HNSCC. We suggest that the NLR is an important biomarker that can assist the clinician and patient in making informed decisions regarding treatment options for HNSCC patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Peicheng Liu ◽  
Ziwei Zhang ◽  
Jiulong Wang ◽  
Zhigang Cheng ◽  
...  

Background: Recurrent locally advanced or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with dismal prognosis because of its highly invasive behavior and resistance to conventional intensive chemotherapy. The identification of effective markers for early diagnosis and prognosis is important for reducing mortality and ensuring that therapy for HNSCC is effective. Chaperonin-containing TCP-1 3 (CCT3) folds cancer-related proteins to control carcinogenesis. The prognostic value and growth association of CCT3 and HNSCC remains unknown. Methods: The GEO, Oncomine and UALCAN databases were used to examine CCT3 expression in HNSCC. A few clinical HNSCC samples with normal tissues were used to detect CCT3 expression by using immunohistochemistry method. The TCGA-HNSC dataset was used to evaluate the association between expression of CCT3 and prognosis. The molecular mechanism was investigated with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). CCK-8 and wound healing assays were used to detect cell growth and invasion of HNSCC, respectively. Results: CCT3 expression was significantly upregulated in HNSCC in both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, upregulated CCT3 expression was associated with various clinicopathological parameters. High expression of CCT3 was significantly correlated with inferior survival of HNSCC patients. Knockdown of CCT3 significantly inhibited cell growth and invasion of HNSCC cell lines. GSEA analysis indicated that CCT3 was closely correlated with tumor-related signaling pathways and HNSCC cell survival. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CCT3 is a biomarker of poor prognosis and related to the process of HNSCC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Zhang ◽  
Siwei Yu ◽  
Jiulong Wang ◽  
Zhigang Cheng

Background: Recurrent locally advanced or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with dismal prognosis because of its highly invasive behavior and resistance to conventional intensive chemotherapy. The identification of effective markers for early diagnosis and prognosis is important for reducing mortality and ensuring that therapy for HNSCC is effective. Proteasome 26S subunit, non-ATPase 7 (PSMD7) is an ATP-independent component of the 19S regulatory subunit. The prognostic value of PSMD7and the association with immune infiltration in HNSCC remains unclear. Methods: The Sangerbox, Oncomine, UALCAN and HPA databases were used to examine PSMD7 expression profiles in HNSCC. The CVCDAP was used to analysis the association of PSMD7 with the prognosis of patients with HNSCC. The mechanism was investigated with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The association between expression of PSMD7 and immune infiltration in HNSCC was investigated using the TIMER, TISIDB database and CIBERSORT algorithm. Results: PSMD7 expression was significantly upregulated in HNSCC compared to relative normal tissues. In addition, upregulated PSMD7 expression was associated with various clinicopathological parameters. High expression of PSMD7 suggested inferior survival of HNSCC patients. GSEA analysis and CERES score indicated that PSMD7 was closely correlated with tumor-related signaling pathways and cell survival. Functional analyses revealed that PSMD7 was positively correlated with various infiltration levels. Moreover, PSMD7 influenced the prognosis of HNSCC patients partially via immune infiltration. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that PSMD7 is associated poor prognosis in patients with HNSCC and plays an important role in tumor-related immune infiltration.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kacper Guglas ◽  
Tomasz Kolenda ◽  
Maciej Stasiak ◽  
Magda Kopczyńska ◽  
Anna Teresiak ◽  
...  

YRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that are components of the Ro60 ribonucleoprotein particle and are essential for initiation of DNA replication. Ro60 ribonucleoprotein particle is a target of autoimmune antibodies in patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome. Deregulation of YRNAs has been confirmed in many cancer types, but not in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The main aim of this study was to determine the biological role of YRNAs in HNSCC, the expression of YRNAs, and their usefulness as potential HNSCC biomarkers. Using quantitative reverse transcriptase (qRT)-PCR, the expression of YRNAs was measured in HNSCC cell lines, 20 matched cancer tissues, and 70 FFPETs (Formaline-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue) from HNSCC patients. Using TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) data, an analysis of the expression levels of selected genes, and clinical-pathological parameters was performed. The expression of low and high YRNA1 expressed groups were analysed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). YRNA1 and YRNA5 are significantly downregulated in HNSCC cell lines. YRNA1 was found to be significantly downregulated in patients’ tumour sample. YRNAs were significantly upregulated in T4 stage. YRNA1 showed the highest sensitivity, allowing to distinguish healthy from cancer tissue. An analysis of TCGA data revealed that expression of YRNA1 was significantly altered in the human papilloma virus (HPV) infection status. Patients with medium or high expression of YRNA1 showed better survival outcomes. It was noted that genes correlated with YRNA1 were associated with various processes occurring during cancerogenesis. The GSEA analysis showed high expression enrichment in eight vital processes for cancer development. YRNA1 influence patients’ survival and could be used as an HNSCC biomarker. YRNA1 seems to be a good potential biomarker for HNSCC, however, more studies must be performed and these observations should be verified using an in vitro model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Wu ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Tingyuan Yan ◽  
Xueping Ke ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The homeobox gene Homeobox B7 (HOXB7) is overexpressed across a range of cancers and promotes tumorigenesis through varying effects on proliferation, survival, migration and invasion. However, its expression pattern and oncogenic role of HOXB7 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain largely unexplored. Here, we aimed to explore the expression pattern of HOXB7, its clinical significance as well as functional roles in HNSCC. Methods HOXB7 mRNA expression in HNSCC was determined by data mining and analyses from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) datasets. The protein abundance of HOXB7 was measured by immunohistochemistry in 119 primary HNSCC samples and associations between its expression and clinicopathological parameters and patient survival were evaluated. The pro-tumorigenic roles of HOXB7 in HNSCC were further delineated in vitro by loss-of-function assay. And a xenograft tumor model was established in nude mice to assess the role of HOXB7 in tumor growth. Connectivity Map (CMap) analysis was performed to identify bioactive small molecules which might be potential inhibitors for HOXB7. Results Bioinformatics analyses showed that HOXB7 mRNA was significantly overexpressed in 8 independent HNSCC datasets from TCGA and GEO databases. HOXB7 protein was markedly upregulated in HNSCC samples as compared to normal counterparts and its overexpression significantly associated with high pathological grade, advanced clinical stage, cervical node metastasis (P = 0.0195, 0.0152, 0.0300) and reduced overall and disease-free survival (P = 0.0014, 0.0007). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses further revealed HOXB7 as an independent prognostic factor for patients’ overall survival. Moreover, HOXB7 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion and induced cell apoptosis in HNSCC cells, and resulted in compromised tumour growth in vivo. Furthermore, CMap (Connectivity map) analysis has identified three potential bioactive small molecule inhibitors (NU-1025, thiamine, vinburnine) for HOXB7 targeted therapy in HNSCC. Conclusions Our findings revealed that overexpression of HOXB7 was associates with tumour aggressiveness and unfavourable prognosis by serving a novel prognostic biomarker in HNSCC. Moreover, HOXB7 might be involved in the development and progression of HNSCC as an oncogene, and thereby might be a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Jaeil Ahn ◽  
Rekha Raghunathan ◽  
Bhaskar V. Kallakury ◽  
Bruce Davidson ◽  
...  

Sulfation of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) regulates signaling of growth factor receptors via specific interactions with the sulfate groups. 6-O-Sulfation of HSPG is an impactful modification regulated by the activities of dedicated extracellular endosulfatases. Specifically, extracellular sulfatase Sulf-2 (SULF2) removes 6-O-sulfate from HS chains, modulates affinity of carrier HSPG to their ligands, and thereby influences activity of the downstream signaling pathway. In this study, we explored the effect of SULF2 expression on HSPG sulfation and its relationship to clinical outcomes of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We found a significant overexpression of SULF2 in HNSCC tumor tissues which differs by tumor location and etiology. Expression of SULF2 mRNA in tumors associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection was two-fold lower than in tumors associated with a history of tobacco and alcohol consumption. High SULF2 mRNA expression is significantly correlated with poor progression-free interval and overall survival of patients (n = 499). Among all HS-related enzymes, SULF2 expression had the highest hazard ratio in overall survival after adjusting for clinical characteristics. SULF2 protein expression (n = 124), determined by immunohistochemical analysis, showed a similar trend. The content of 6-O-sulfated HSPG, measured by staining with the HS3A8 antibody, was higher in adjacent mucosa compared to tumor tissue but revealed no difference based on SULF2 staining. LC-MS/MS analysis showed low abundance of N-sulfation and O-sulfation in HS but no significant difference between SULF2-positive and SULF2-negative tumors. Levels of enzymes modifying 6-O-sulfation, measured by RT-qPCR in HNSCC tumor tissues, suggest that HSPG sulfation is carried out by the co-regulated activities of multiple genes. Imbalance of the HS modifying enzymes in HNSCC tumors modifies the overall sulfation pattern, but the alteration of 6-O-sulfate is likely non-uniform and occurs in specific domains of the HS chains. These findings demonstrate that SULF2 expression correlates with survival of HNSCC patients and could potentially serve as a prognostic factor or target of therapeutic interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanying Feng ◽  
Feifei Xue ◽  
Yingzheng He ◽  
Tianxiao Wang ◽  
Hua Yuan

ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify genes regulating cancer stemness of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and evaluate the ability of these genes to predict clinical outcomes.Materials and MethodsThe stemness index (mRNAsi) was obtained using a one-class logistic regression machine learning algorithm based on sequencing data of HNSCC patients. Stemness-related genes were identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis (LASSO). The coefficient of LASSO was applied to construct a diagnostic risk score model. The Cancer Genome Atlas database, the Gene Expression Omnibus database, Oncomine database and the Human Protein Atlas database were used to validate the expression of key genes. Interaction network analysis was performed using String database and DisNor database. The Connectivity Map database was used to screen potential compounds. The expressions of stemness-related genes were validated using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR).ResultsTTK, KIF14, KIF18A and DLGAP5 were identified. Stemness-related genes were upregulated in HNSCC samples. The risk score model had a significant predictive ability. CDK inhibitor was the top hit of potential compounds.ConclusionStemness-related gene expression profiles may be a potential biomarker for HNSCC.


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