scholarly journals Identification of Tumor Suppressive Genes Regulated by miR-31-5p and miR-31-3p in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6199
Author(s):  
Sachi Oshima ◽  
Shunichi Asai ◽  
Naohiko Seki ◽  
Chikashi Minemura ◽  
Takashi Kinoshita ◽  
...  

We identified the microRNA (miRNA) expression signature of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissues by RNA sequencing, in which 168 miRNAs were significantly upregulated, including both strands of the miR-31 duplex (miR-31-5p and miR-31-3p). The aims of this study were to identify networks of tumor suppressor genes regulated by miR-31-5p and miR-31-3p in HNSCC cells. Our functional assays showed that inhibition of miR-31-5p and miR-31-3p attenuated cancer cell malignant phenotypes (cell proliferation, migration, and invasion), suggesting that they had oncogenic potential in HNSCC cells. Our in silico analysis revealed 146 genes regulated by miR-31 in HNSCC cells. Among these targets, the low expression of seven genes (miR-31-5p targets: CACNB2 and IL34; miR-31-3p targets: CGNL1, CNTN3, GAS7, HOPX, and PBX1) was closely associated with poor prognosis in HNSCC. According to multivariate Cox regression analyses, the expression levels of five of those genes (CACNB2: p = 0.0189; IL34: p = 0.0425; CGNL1: p = 0.0014; CNTN3: p = 0.0304; and GAS7: p = 0.0412) were independent prognostic factors in patients with HNSCC. Our miRNA signature and miRNA-based approach will provide new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of HNSCC.

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.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Yang ◽  
Wafik Sedhom ◽  
John Song ◽  
Shi-Long Lu

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) affects 650,000 people worldwide and has a dismal 50% 5-year survival rate. Recurrence and metastasis are believed the two most important factors causing this high mortality. Understanding the biological process and the underlying mechanisms of recurrence and metastasis is critical to develop novel and effective treatment, which is expected to improve patients’ survival of HNSCC. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding nucleotides that regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Oncogenic and tumor-suppressive microRNAs have shown to regulate nearly every step of recurrence and metastasis, ranging from migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), anoikis, to gain of cancer stem cell property. This review encompasses an overview of microRNAs involved in these processes. The recent advances of utilizing microRNA as biomarkers and targets for treatment, particularly on controlling recurrence and metastasis are also reviewed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1596-1605
Author(s):  
Qiaoshi Xu ◽  
Hanyue Chang ◽  
Xuerui Tian ◽  
Chao Lou ◽  
Hailong Ma ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Xueqin Zhu ◽  
Qiang Sun ◽  
Xing Qin ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
...  

Constituents of tobacco that can cause DNA adduct formation and oxidative stress are implicated in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, there are few studies on the mechanism(s) that underlie tobacco-associated HNSCC. Here, we used a model in which tumors were induced in rats using 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), which mimicked tobacco-related HNSCC, and analyzed the expression profiles of microRNAs and mRNAs. Our results indicated that 57 miRNAs and 474 mRNA/EST transcripts exhibited differential expression profiles between tumor and normal tongue tissues. In tumor tissue, the expression levels of rno-miR-30 family members (rno-miR-30a, rno-miR-30a-3p, rno-miR-30b-5p, rno-miR-30c, rno-miR-30d, rno-miR-30e and rno-miR-30e-3p) were only 8% to 37% of those in the control group. The GO terms enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed miRNAs indicated that oxidation reduction was the most enriched process. Low expression of miR-30 family members in human HNSCC cell lines and tissues was validated by qPCR. The results revealed that the expression of miR-30b-5p and miR-30e-5p was significantly decreased in the TCGA HNSCC dataset and validation datasets, and this decrease in expression further distinguishes HNSCC associated with tobacco use from other subtypes of HNSCC. CCK8, colony formation, transwell migration and HNSCC xenograft tumor assays indicated that miR-30b-5p or miR-30e-5p inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and miR-30b-5p suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, we uncovered that KRAS might be the potential target gene of miR-30e-5p or miR-30b-5p. Thus, our data clearly showed that decreased expression of miR-30e-5p or miR-30b-5p may play a crucial role in cancer development, especially that of tobacco-induced HNSCC, and may be a novel candidate biomarker and target for this HNSCC subtype.


2020 ◽  
pp. 486-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Abrahão ◽  
Sandra Perdomo ◽  
Luis Felipe Ribeiro Pinto ◽  
Flávia Nascimento de Carvalho ◽  
Fernando Luis Dias ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) incidence is high in South America, where recent data on survival are sparse. We investigated the main predictors of HNSCC survival in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia. METHODS Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was obtained from standardized interviews, and clinicopathologic data were extracted from medical records and pathologic reports. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS Of 1,463 patients, 378 had a larynx cancer (LC), 78 hypopharynx cancer (HC), 599 oral cavity cancer (OC), and 408 oropharynx cancer (OPC). Most patients (55.5%) were diagnosed with stage IV disease, ranging from 47.6% for LC to 70.8% for OPC. Three-year survival rates were 56.0% for LC, 54.7% for OC, 48.0% for OPC, and 37.8% for HC. In multivariable models, patients with stage IV disease had approximately 7.6 (LC/HC), 11.7 (OC), and 3.5 (OPC) times higher mortality than patients with stage I disease. Current and former drinkers with LC or HC had approximately 2 times higher mortality than never-drinkers. In addition, older age at diagnosis was independently associated with worse survival for all sites. In a subset analysis of 198 patients with OPC with available human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 data, those with HPV-unrelated OPC had a significantly worse 3-year survival compared with those with HPV-related OPC (44.6% v 75.6%, respectively), corresponding to a 3.4 times higher mortality. CONCLUSION Late stage at diagnosis was the strongest predictor of lower HNSCC survival. Early cancer detection and reduction of harmful alcohol use are fundamental to decrease the high burden of HNSCC in South America.


2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1803-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Katada ◽  
Takeshi Tomonaga ◽  
Mamoru Satoh ◽  
Kazuyuki Matsushita ◽  
Yurie Tonoike ◽  
...  

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