Autophagy regulation patterns characterization identifies immune phenotypes and immunotherapy response in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Ma ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Mingzhu Zheng ◽  
Rui Cao ◽  
Riyue Yu
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Immune Phenotypes

Abstract BackgroundAutophagy degraded and recycled cytoplasmic components to maintain cellular homeostasis under stress conditions, which was recognized as double-edged sword in oncogenesis and novel target in cancer treatment. However, comprehensive analysis of the relationship between autophagy regulation and immunity has not been reported yet. MethodsUnsupervised consensus clustering algorithm was used to identify autophagy regulation patterns. LASSO cox regression algorithm was used to build a scoring system (ATGscore) to represent the individual autophagy regulation pattern. Then integrated analysis of autophagy regulation patterns and ATGscore was performed.ResultsWe have successful depicted five autophagy regulation patterns and established a scoring system (ATGscore) to represent it, which was shown to be significantly correlated with TIME infiltration, immune phenotypes, molecular subtypes, and genetic variation, etc. in 1165 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Moreover, ATGscore was an independent prognostic factor and potent predictor for clinical response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting immunotherapy. ConclusionUnderstanding the molecular characteristics of autophagy regulation patterns in HNSCC could help us to depict the underlying mechanism of tumour immunity and lay a solid foundation on combination of autophagy targeting therapies and immunotherapies for clinical application in HNSCC.

scholarly journals Integrated Analysis Reveals ENDOU as a Biomarker in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengzhi Xu ◽  
Yunbin Zhang ◽  
Yupeng Shen ◽  
Yong Shi ◽  
Ming Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Proliferation And Migration

BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a leading cancer with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim is to identify genes with clinical significance by integrated bioinformatics analysis and investigate their function in HNSCC.MethodsWe downloaded and analyzed two gene expression datasets of GSE6631 and GSE107591 to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HNSCC. Common DEGs were functionally analyzed by Gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed with STRING database and Cytoscape. ENDOU was overexpressed in FaDu and Cal-27 cell lines, and cell proliferation and migration capability were evaluated with MTT, scratch and transwell assay. The prognostic performance of ENDOU and expression correlation with tumor infiltrates in HNSCC were validated with TCGA HNSCC datasets.ResultsNinety-eight genes shared common differential expression in both datasets, with core functions like extracellular matrix organization significantly enriched. 15 genes showed prognostic significance, and COBL and ENDOU serve as independent survival markers in HNSCC. In-vitro ENDOU overexpression inhibited FaDu and Cal-27 cells proliferation and migration, indicating its tumor-suppressing role in HNSCC progression. GSEA analysis indicated ENDOU down-stream pathways like DNA replication, mismatch repair, cell cycle and IL-17 signaling pathway. ENDOU showed relative lower expression in HNSCC, especially HPV-positive HNSCC samples. At last, ENDOU showed negative correlation with tumor purity and tumor infiltrating macrophages, especially M2 macrophages.ConclusionThis study identified ENDOU as a biomarker with prognostic significance in HNSCC progression.

scholarly journals Integrated analysis of deregulation microRNA expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. e24618
Author(s):  
Cheng-Lin Qi ◽  
Jian-Fei Sheng ◽  
Mao-Ling Huang ◽  
You Zou ◽  
Yong-Ping Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Microrna Expression ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Integrated Analysis

scholarly journals HPV-positive status associated with inflamed immune microenvironment and improved response to anti-PD-1 therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Hao Sun ◽  
Qin Zeng ◽  
Xue-Jun Guo ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Hpv Infection ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Immune Microenvironment ◽  
Hpv Status

Abstract Chemotherapy and radiotherapy predominantly improve the clinical outcomes of patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Whether this superiority goes on when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors is still unclear. This study sought to determine the predictive value and potential mechanisms of HPV status for the treatment of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/ligand 1(PD-L1) inhibitors. We conducted an integrated analysis of the relationships between HPV status and PD-L1, tumor mutation burden (TMB) and inflammation-related immune cells and molecules, based on the analysis of repository databases and resected HNSCC specimens. The pooled analysis of overall survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR) suggested that HPV-positive patients benefited more from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors than HPV-negative patients (OS: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.71, p = 0.02; ORR: 21.9% vs 14.1%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, p = 0.01). Analysis of public databases and resected HNSCC specimens revealed that HPV status was independent of PD-L1 expression and TMB in HNSCC. However, HPV infection significantly increased T-cell infiltration, immune effector cell activation and the diversity of T-cell receptors. Notably, HPV-positivity correlated with increased immune cytolytic activity and a T-cell-inflamed gene expression profile. This work provides evidence that HPV status can be used to predict the effectiveness of PD-1 inhibitors in HNSCC, independently of PD-L1 expression and TMB, and probably results from an inflamed immune microenvironment induced by HPV infection.

scholarly journals MAP2K1 is a potential therapeutic target in erlotinib resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit P. Jain ◽  
Krishna Patel ◽  
Sneha Pinto ◽  
Aneesha Radhakrishnan ◽  
Vishalakshi Nanjappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mapk Pathway ◽  
Acquired Resistance ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Integrated Analysis

AbstractEpidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted therapies have shown limited efficacy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients despite its overexpression. Identifying molecular mechanisms associated with acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs such as erlotinib remains an unmet need and a therapeutic challenge. In this study, we employed an integrated multi-omics approach to delineate mechanisms associated with acquired resistance to erlotinib by carrying out whole exome sequencing, quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling. We observed amplification of several genes including AXL kinase and transcription factor YAP1 resulting in protein overexpression. We also observed expression of constitutively active mutant MAP2K1 (p.K57E) in erlotinib resistant SCC-R cells. An integrated analysis of genomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic data revealed alterations in MAPK pathway and its downstream targets in SCC-R cells. We demonstrate that erlotinib-resistant cells are sensitive to MAPK pathway inhibition. This study revealed multiple genetic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic alterations associated with erlotinib resistant SCC-R cells. Our data indicates that therapeutic targeting of MAPK pathway is an effective strategy for treating erlotinib-resistant HNSCC tumors.

scholarly journals On-treatment immune prognostic score for patients with relapsed and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e002718
Author(s):  
Pablo Nenclares ◽  
Lucinda Gunn ◽  
Heba Soliman ◽  
Mateo Bover ◽  
Amy Trinh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Prognostic Score ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested that inflammatory markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and fibrinogen) are prognostic biomarkers in patients with a variety of solid cancers, including those treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We aimed to develop a model that predicts response and survival in patients with relapsed and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with immunotherapy.MethodsAnalysis of 100 consecutive patients with unresectable R/M HNSCC who were treated with ICI. Baseline and on-treatment (day 28) NLR, fibrinogen and LDH were calculated and correlated with response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal cut-off values were derived using maximally selected log-rank statistics.ResultsLow baseline NLR and fibrinogen levels were associated with response. There was a statistically significant correlation between on-treatment NLR and fibrinogen and best overall response. On-treatment high NLR and raised fibrinogen were significantly associated with poorer outcome. In multivariate analysis, on-treatment NLR (≥4) and on-treatment fibrinogen (≥4 ng/mL) showed a significant negative correlation with OS and PFS. Using these cut-off points, we generated an on-treatment score for OS and PFS (0–2 points). The derived scoring system shows appropriate discrimination and suitability for OS (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.7 to 3.4, p<0.0001, Harrell’s C 0.67) and PFS (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.3, p<0.0001, Harrell’s C 0.68). In the absence of an external validation cohort, results of fivefold cross-validation of the score and evaluation of median OS and PFS on the Kaplan-Meier survival distribution between trained and test data exhibited appropriate accuracy and concordance of the model.ConclusionsNLR and fibrinogen levels are simple, inexpensive and readily available biomarkers that could be incorporated into an on-treatment scoring system and used to help predict survival and response to ICI in patients with R/M HNSCC.

scholarly journals An Immune Feature-Based, Three-Gene Scoring System for Prognostic Prediction of Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamin Zhang ◽  
Xiayan Luo ◽  
Jing Yu ◽  
Kejia Qian ◽  
Huiyong Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by a high frequency of neck lymph node metastasis (LNM), a key prognostic factor. Therefore, identifying the biological processes during LNM of HNSCC has significant clinical implications for risk stratification. This study performed Gene Ontology enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes between tumors with LNM and those without LNM and identified the involvement of immune response in the lymphatic metastasis of HNSCC. We further identified greater infiltrations of CD8+ T cells in tumors than in adjacent normal tissues through immunochemistry in the patient cohort (n = 62), indicating the involvement of CD8+ T cells in the antitumor immunity. Hierarchical clustering analysis was conducted to initially identify the candidate genes relevant to lymphocyte-mediated antitumor response. The candidate genes were applied to construct a LASSO Cox regression analysis model. Three genes were eventually screened out as progression‐related differentially expressed candidates in HNSCC and a risk scoring system was established based on LASSO Cox regression model to predict the outcome in patients with HNSCC. The score was calculated using the formula: 0.0636 × CXCL11 − 0.4619 × CXCR3 + 0.2398 × CCR5. Patients with high scores had significantly worse overall survival than those with low scores (p &lt; 0.001). The risk score showed good performance in characterizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and provided a theoretical basis for stratifying patients receiving immune therapies. Additionally, a nomogram including the risk score, age, and TNM stage was constructed. The prediction model displayed marginally better discrimination ability and higher agreement in predicting the survival of patients with HNSCC compared with the TNM stage.

scholarly journals miRNAs as Biomarkers for Diagnosing and Predicting Survival of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3980
Author(s):  
Igor Piotrowski ◽  
Xiang Zhu ◽  
Tatiana Dandolini Saccon ◽  
Sarah Ashiqueali ◽  
Augusto Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Tumor Tissue ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Upper Aerodigestive Tract ◽  
Common Cancer ◽  
Differentially Expressed Mirnas

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. These tumors originate from epithelial cells of the upper aerodigestive tract. HNSCC tumors in different regions can have significantly different molecular characteristics. While many microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to be involved in the regulation of the carcinogenesis and pathogenesis of HNSCC, new HNSCC related miRNAs are still being discovered. The aim of this study was to explore potential miRNA biomarkers that can be used to diagnose HNSCC and prognose survival of HNSCC patients. For this purpose, we chose a panel of 12 miRNAs: miR-146a-5p, miR-449a, miR-126-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-34b-5p, miR-34c-5p, miR-217-5p, miR-378c, miR-6510-3p, miR-96-5p, miR-149-5p, and miR-133a-5p. Expression of these miRNAs was measured in tumor tissue and neighboring healthy tissue collected from patients diagnosed with HNSCC (n = 79) in either the oral cavity, oropharynx, or larynx. We observed a pattern of differentially expressed miRNAs at each of these cancer locations. Our study showed that some of these miRNAs, separately or in combination, could serve as biomarkers distinguishing between healthy and tumor tissue, and their expression correlated with patients’ overall survival.

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