Prognostic significance of p34cdc2 expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

CDK1 serves as a novel therapeutic target for endometrioid endometrial cancer

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common and prevalent gynecologic malignancies worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify a novel therapeutic target for endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Materials and Methods: Bioinformatic analysis was performed and CDK1 was screen out as one of the hub genes in the pathogenesis of EC. Immunohistochemistry was used to verify the expression of CDK1 in endometrial cancer tissue. Cell viability and colony formation were used to study the effects of CDK1 on the proliferation and colony formation of endometrial cancer cells in vitro. Apoptosis and cell cycle assays were used to elucidate the mechanism of CDK1 affecting cell proliferation. Tumor xenograft transplantation assay was performed to show the effects of CDK1 on the growth of endometrial cancer cells in vivo.

Results: CDK1 was over expressed in endometrioid endometrial cancer, and accumulation of cytoplasmic CDK1 was associated with histological grade of EC. CDK1 promoted endometrial cancer cell growth and colony formation in vitro. The inhibition of CDK1 activity induced cell apoptosis and caused G2/M phase arrest of cell cycle in endometrial cancer cells. The inhibition of CDK1 activity also inhibited endometrial cancer growth in xenograft models.

Conclusion: CDK1 was involved in the pathogenesis of endometrioid endometrial cancer and provided a novel therapeutic target for endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Age and risk of recurrence in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma: Systematic review

The incidence of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma has been increasing in young patients (≤45 years) without a clear etiologic driver. It is unknown if younger patients have an increased risk of recurrence compared to older patients. A literature search was conducted through January 2020 using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, Science Direct, and clinicaltrials.gov. This review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020167498) and the PRISMA statement was followed. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed risk of recurrence by age using a time-to-event analysis, used an age cutoff of ≤45 years or less for the younger cohort, and limited the analysis to the oral tongue subsite. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers using a form with a prespecified list of variables. There were 13 articles that met criteria for the qualitative synthesis (n = 1763 patients). The reported 5-year rates of disease-free survival ranged from 30% to 72% for the younger cohorts and 42% to 81% for the older cohorts. Three studies reported a statistically significant increased risk of recurrence in younger patients, three studies reported a nonsignificant increased risk in younger patients, and seven studies reported a similar risk in younger patients based on the time-to-event analyses. There may be an increased risk of recurrence for younger patients with oral tongue cancer. A definitive conclusion is precluded by limitations among individual studies, and additional research is warranted to examine this question.

Screening and authentication of molecular markers in malignant glioblastoma based on gene expression profiles

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant tumor of the central nervous system with high mortality rates. Gene expression profiling may determine the chemosensitivity of GBMs. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying GBM remain to be determined. To screen the novel key genes in its occurrence and development, two glioma databases, GSE122498 and GSE104291, were analyzed in the present study. Bioinformatics analyses were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery, the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes, Cytoscape, cBioPortal, and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis softwares. Patients with recurrent GBM showed worse overall survival rate. Overall, 341 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were authenticated based on two microarray datasets, which were primarily enriched in ‘cell division’, ‘mitotic nuclear division’, ‘DNA replication’, ‘nucleoplasm’, ‘cytosol, nucleus’, ‘protein binding’, ‘ATP binding’, ‘protein C-terminus binding’, ‘the cell cycle’, ‘DNA replication’, ‘oocyte meiosis’ and ‘valine’. The protein-protein interaction network was composed of 1,799 edges and 237 nodes. Its significant module had 10 hub genes, and CDK1, BUB1B, NDC80, NCAPG, BUB1, CCNB1, TOP2A, DLGAP5, ASPM and MELK were significantly associated with carcinogenesis and the development of GBM. The present study indicated that the DEGs and hub genes, identified based on bioinformatics analyses, had significant diagnostic value for patients with GBM.

The clinical significance of CDK1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical significance of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) in 77 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) using immunohistochemical methods. Study Design: Immunohistochemical expression of CDK1 was compared with various clinicopathological features in 77 OSCC and 60 controlled epithelia adjacent to the tumours. In addition, correlation of CDK1 expression and prognostic and the 5-year accumulative survival rate of OSCC were investigated. Results: The CDK1 protein was expressed in 52 cases of 77 tumor tissues (67.5%), compared with 21 cases of 60 controlled (35.0%). The expression of CDK1 was significantly correlated with the histological grade of OSCC (P<0.05). The CDK1 protein was over-expressed in recurrent tumors or in those with lymph node metastasis. Statistical analysis showed a significant reduction in the 5-year accumulative survival rate in CDK1 positive cases compared with CDK1 negative cases (P<0.05). Namely, the CDK1 positive patients had poor prognosis. Conclusions: The expression of CDK1 might serve as malignant degree and prognostic markers for the survival of OSCC.

Key words:Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), immunohistochemistry, cell proliferation.

Identification of guanylate-binding protein 1 as a potential oral cancer marker involved in cell invasion using omics-based analysis

Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a devastating disease that accounts for 3% of all cancer cases diagnosed annually. OSCC is usually diagnosed at advanced clinical stages, resulting in poor outcomes. To identify effective biomarkers for improved OSCC diagnosis and/or management, we simultaneously analyzed the OSCC cell secretome and tissue transcriptome. Among the 19 candidates isolated, guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) was selected for further validation using serum samples from OSCC patients and healthy controls. Notably, the serum level of GBP1 was higher in OSCC patients, compared to that in healthy controls. Immunohistochemical analysis further revealed GBP1 overexpression in OSCC tissues, compared with adjacent noncancerous epithelia. Importantly, the higher GBP1 level in OSCC tissue was associated with higher overall pathological stage, positive perineural invasion, and poorer prognosis. Moreover, GBP1 modulated the migration and invasion of OSCC cells in vitro. Our results collectively indicate that integrated analysis of the cancer secretome and transcriptome is a feasible strategy for the efficient identification of novel OSCC markers.

VRK1 signaling pathway in the context of the proliferation phenotype in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The vaccinia-related kinase (VRK) proteins are a new family with three members in the human kinome. The VRK1 protein phosphorylates several transcription factors and has been postulated to be involved in regulation of cell proliferation. In normal squamous epithelium, VRK1 is expressed in the proliferation area. Because VRK1 can stabilize p53, the expression of the VRK1 protein was analyzed in the context of the p53 pathway and the proliferation phenotype in a series of 73 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. VRK1 protein level positively correlated with p53 response proteins, particularly hdm2 and p21. The VRK1 protein also correlated positively with several proteins associated with proliferation, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK6, cdc2, cyclins B1 and A, topoisomerase II, survivin, and Ki67. The level of VRK1 protein behaves like a proliferation marker in this series of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. To identify a possible regulatory role for VRK1 and because it regulates gene transcription, the promoters of two genes were studied, CDK2 and SURVIVIN, whose proteins correlated positively with VRK1. VRK1 increases the activity of both the CDK2 and SURVIVIN gene promoters. The expression of VRK1 was analyzed in the context of regulators of the G1-S transition. VRK1 protein levels increase in response to E2F1 and are reduced by retinoblastoma and p16. These data suggest that VRK1 might play a role in cell cycle regulation and is likely to represent the beginning of a new control mechanism of cell cycle, particularly late in the G1-S phase.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma: review of prognostic and predictive factors

Oral squamous cell carcinoma has a remarkable incidence worldwide and a fairly onerous prognosis, encouraging further research on factors that might modify disease outcome. In this review article, the authors approach the factors that may exert influence on the prognosis and eventually guide the selection of patients for more aggressive therapies. Published scientific data was collected, selected, and grouped into 3 main clusters: patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors. Well established aspects are discussed, but also those less common or with only supposed usefulness. Disease staging, extracapsular dissemination, resection margin free of disease, and tumor thickness are factors with high influence on the prognosis. There has been an increasing interest in the study of tumor molecular factors, and some have been strongly correlated with the outcome, showing promising pathways for the future development of more effective prognosis systems and anticancer therapies.

Proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins between metastatic and non-metastatic human colorectal carcinoma cell lines

OBJECTIVES

To explore the expressions of metastasis-related proteins between metastatic LS174T and non-metastatic SW480 human colorectal carcinoma cell lines.

METHODS

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was applied to separate the total proteins of cells. The silver-stained gels were analysed by 2-DE software Image Master 2D Elite. Selected differential protein spots were identified with peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and database searching.

RESULTS

The protein endothelial cell growth factor 1 (platelet-derived), rhotekin protein (RTKN), septin 1, cyclin-dependent kinase 1, sialic acid binding Ig-like lectin 11, tyrosinase-related protein-2, translin-like protein, and DNA directed RNA polymerase II polypeptide J-related gene isoform 2 appeared in metastatic but were not detected in non-metastatic cell lines, whereas integrin-linked kinase-associated protein phosphatase 2C isoform 2, MHC class I promoter binding protein, protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunit B' (PR 53), carboxypeptidase A5, paired box transcription factor, zinc finger protein 79, and apolipoprotein B-48 were detected in non-metastatic but were absent in metastatic cell lines. In addition, cyclin fold protein 1 variant A and pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor 1 were lowly expressed in the non-metastatic cell line and were significantly upregulated in the metastatic cell line. These identified proteins were involved in cell growth, motility, invasion, adhesion, apoptosis and tumour immunity, which is associated with distinct aspects of tumour metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

These data are valuable for the identification of differentially expressed proteins involved in human colorectal carcinoma carcinogenesis and metastasis.

Cyclin D1 Is a Valuable Prognostic Marker in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: The current tumor-node-metastasis system is inadequate to accurately classify patients in terms of prognosis. Thus, with the availability of recently developed molecular tools, considerable interest lies in discovering prognostic markers in order to guide treatment decisions. In this study, we sought to determine the prognostic significance of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Experimental Design: We studied the protein expression levels of cyclin D1 on a tissue microarray composed of 63 OSCCs with long-term follow-up data available. Protein expression was analyzed with an automated in situ quantitative (AQUA) method which allows preservation of tissue morphology while quantifying protein expression in paraffin-embedded tissue.

Results: The mean follow-up time was 35 months. High cyclin D1 nuclear expression was associated with increased 5-year local recurrence rate (48% versus 15%), inferior 5-year disease-free survival (16% versus 58%), and inferior 5-year overall survival (17% versus 53%). In multivariate Cox regression, high nuclear cyclin D1 expression was an independent predictor for local recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival at 5 years.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that quantitative assessment of nuclear cyclin D1 expression level by automated in situ quantitative analysis is a strong predictor for outcome in OSCC. Thus, cyclin D1 may be a potential target for molecular intervention in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer.

Profiling early head and neck cancer

Head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and, disappointingly, survival rates are not improving. Moreover, HNSCC has a severe impact on the quality of life of patients and survivors, and the significant morbidity subsequent to treatment often mandates long-term multidisciplinary care, which places significant financial pressures on the treating institution. Therefore, prevention and early diagnosis of high-risk pre-malignant lesions are high priorities for reducing deaths due to head and neck cancer. Recent advances have begun to elucidate the different aetiologies of HNSCCs in relation to previous pre-malignancies and to identify which pre-malignant lesions are likely to progress to malignancy.