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HELLER GERWIN, FUEREDER THORSTEN, GRANDITS ALEXANDERMICHAEL, WIESER ROTRAUD. New perspectives on biology, disease progression, and therapy response of head and neck cancer gained from single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics. Oncol Res 2023; 32:1-17. [PMID: 38188682 PMCID: PMC10767240 DOI: 10.32604/or.2023.044774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. The main risk factors are consumption of tobacco products and alcohol, as well as infection with human papilloma virus. Approved therapeutic options comprise surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy through epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition, and immunotherapy, but outcome has remained unsatisfactory due to recurrence rates of ~50% and the frequent occurrence of second primaries. The availability of the human genome sequence at the beginning of the millennium heralded the omics era, in which rapid technological progress has advanced our knowledge of the molecular biology of malignant diseases, including HNSCC, at an unprecedented pace. Initially, microarray-based methods, followed by approaches based on next-generation sequencing, were applied to study the genetics, epigenetics, and gene expression patterns of bulk tumors. More recently, the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and spatial transcriptomics methods has facilitated the investigation of the heterogeneity between and within different cell populations in the tumor microenvironment (e.g., cancer cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, endothelial cells), led to the discovery of novel cell types, and advanced the discovery of cell-cell communication within tumors. This review provides an overview of scRNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, and the associated bioinformatics methods, and summarizes how their application has promoted our understanding of the emergence, composition, progression, and therapy responsiveness of, and intercellular signaling within, HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- GERWIN HELLER
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - THORSTEN FUEREDER
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | | | - ROTRAUD WIESER
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
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An Z, Liu W, Li W, Wei M, An C. Application of single-cell RNA sequencing in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Chin J Cancer Res 2023; 35:331-342. [PMID: 37691894 PMCID: PMC10485914 DOI: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2023.04.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing has been broadly applied to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) for characterizing the heterogeneity and genomic mutations of HNSCC benefiting from the advantage of single-cell resolution. We summarized most of the current studies and aimed to explore their research methods and ideas, as well as how to transform them into clinical applications. Through single-cell RNA sequencing, we found the differences in tumor cells' expression programs and differentiation tracks. The studies of immune microenvironment allowed us to distinguish immune cell subpopulations, the extensive expression of immune checkpoints, and the complex crosstalk network between immune cells and non-immune cells. For cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), single-cell RNA sequencing had made an irreplaceable contribution to the exploration of their differentiation status, specific CAFs markers, and the interaction with tumor cells and immune cells. In addition, we demonstrated in detail how single-cell RNA sequencing explored the HNSCC epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) model and the mechanism of drug resistance, as well as its clinical value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohong An
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Wan Liu
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen Center, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Wenbin Li
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Minghui Wei
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen Center, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Changming An
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
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Song L, Zeng R, Yang K, Liu W, Xu Z, Kang F. The biological significance of cuproptosis-key gene MTF1 in pan-cancer and its inhibitory effects on ROS-mediated cell death of liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Discov Oncol 2023; 14:113. [PMID: 37380924 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-023-00738-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Metal regulatory transcription factor 1 (MTF1) has been reported to be correlated with several human diseases, especially like cancers. Exploring the underlying mechanisms and biological functions of MTF1 could provide novel strategies for clinical diagnosis and therapy of cancers. In this study, we conducted the comprehensive analysis to evaluate the profiles of MTF1 in pan-cancer. For example, TIMER2.0, TNMplot and GEPIA2.0 were employed to analyze the expression values of MTF1 in pan-cancer. The methylation levels of MTF1 were evaluated via UALCAN and DiseaseMeth version 2.0 databases. The mutation profiles of MTF1 in pan-cancers were analyzed using cBioPortal. GEPIA2.0, Kaplan-Meier plotter and cBioPortal were also used to explore the roles of MTF1 in cancer prognosis. We found that high MTF1 expression was related to poor prognosis of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and brain lower grade glioma (LGG). Also, high expression level of MTF1 was associated with good prognosis of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. We investigated the genetic alteration and methylation levels of MTF1 between the primary tumor and normal tissues. The relationship between MTF1 expression and several immune cells was analyzed, including T cell CD8 + and dendritic cells (DC). Mechanically, MTF1-interacted molecules might participate in the regulation of metabolism-related pathways, such as peptidyl-serine phosphorylation, negative regulation of cellular amide metabolic process and peptidyl-threonine phosphorylation. Single cell sequencing indicated that MTF1 was associated with angiogenesis, DNA repair and cell invasion. In addition, in vitro experiment indicated knockdown of MTF1 resulted in the suppressed cell proliferation, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoted cell death in LIHC cells HepG2 and Huh7. Taken together, this pan-cancer analysis of MTF1 has implicated that MTF1 could play an essential role in the progression of various human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liying Song
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Rong Zeng
- General Surgery Department, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Keda Yang
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Second Hospital University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhijie Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Changde Hospital, Changde, Hunan, China
| | - Fanhua Kang
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Changde Hospital, Changde, Hunan, China.
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Parikh AS, Yu VX, Flashner S, Okolo OB, Lu C, Henick BS, Momen-Heravi F, Puram SV, Teknos T, Pan Q, Nakagawa H. Patient-derived three-dimensional culture techniques model tumor heterogeneity in head and neck cancer. Oral Oncol 2023; 138:106330. [PMID: 36773387 PMCID: PMC10126876 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2023.106330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) outcomes remain stagnant, in part due to a poor understanding of HNSCC biology. The importance of tumor heterogeneity as an independent predictor of outcomes and treatment failure in HNSCC has recently come to light. With this understanding, 3D culture systems, including patient derived organoids (PDO) and organotypic culture (OTC), that capture this heterogeneity may allow for modeling and manipulation of critical subpopulations, such as p-EMT, as well as interactions between cancer cells and immune and stromal cells in the microenvironment. Here, we review work that has been done using PDO and OTC models of HNSCC, which demonstrates that these 3D culture models capture in vivo tumor heterogeneity and can be used to model tumor biology and treatment response in a way that faithfully recapitulates in vivo characteristics. As such, in vitro 3D culture models represent an important bridge between 2D monolayer culture and in vivo models such as patient derived xenografts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuraag S Parikh
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Victoria X Yu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samuel Flashner
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ogoegbunam B Okolo
- Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Chao Lu
- Department of Genetics and Development, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Brian S Henick
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Columbia Unversity, New York, NY, United States
| | - Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
- Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sidharth V Puram
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Theodoros Teknos
- Department of Otolaryngology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Quintin Pan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Hiroshi Nakagawa
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.
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