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Sheng N, Fu R, Zhou C, Li Y, Fan Y, Wang J, Nan X. SOX9 promotes stemness in the CAL27 cell line of tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Cell Biochem Funct 2024; 42:e4000. [PMID: 38566395 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.4000] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a prevalent form of oral malignancy, with increasing incidence. Unfortunately, the 5-year survival rate for patients has not exceeded 50%. Studies have shown that sex-determining region Y box 9 (SOX9) correlates with malignancy and tumor stemness in a variety of tumors. To investigate the role of SOX9 in TSCC stemness, we analyzed its influence on various aspects of tumor biology, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, sphere and clone formation, and drug resistance in TSCC. Our data suggest a close association between SOX9 expression and both the stemness phenotype and drug resistance in TSCC. Immunohistochemical experiments revealed a progressive increase of SOX9 expression in normal oral mucosa, paracancerous tissues, and tongue squamous carcinoma tissues. Furthermore, the expression of SOX9 was closely linked to the TNM stage, but not to lymph node metastasis or tumor diameter. SOX9 is a crucial gene in TSCC responsible for promoting the stemness function of cancer stem cells. Developing drugs that target SOX9 is extremely important in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanning Sheng
- Faculty of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Cancer, Taiyuan, China
- Shanxi Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Prevention and New Materials, Taiyuan, China
| | - Rong Fu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Chuhuan Zhou
- Faculty of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Cancer, Taiyuan, China
- Shanxi Province Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Prevention and New Materials, Taiyuan, China
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Prosthodontics, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yawei Fan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jue Wang
- Faculty of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- Department of Prosthodontics, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xinrong Nan
- Faculty of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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Barbosa S, Laureano NK, Hadiwikarta WW, Visioli F, Bonrouhi M, Pajdzik K, Conde-Lopez C, Herold-Mende C, Eidt G, Langie R, Lamers ML, Stögbauer F, Hess J, Kurth I, Jou A. The Role of SOX2 and SOX9 in Radioresistance and Tumor Recurrence. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:439. [PMID: 38275880 PMCID: PMC10814462 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) exhibits considerable variability in patient outcome. It has been reported that SOX2 plays a role in proliferation, tumor growth, drug resistance, and metastasis in a variety of cancer types. Additionally, SOX9 has been implicated in immune tolerance and treatment failures. SOX2 and SOX9 induce treatment failure by a molecular mechanism that has not yet been elucidated. This study explores the inverse association of SOX2/SOX9 and their distinct expression in tumors, influencing the tumor microenvironment and radiotherapy responses. Through public RNA sequencing data, human biopsy samples, and knockdown cellular models, we explored the effects of inverted SOX2 and SOX9 expression. We found that patients expressing SOX2LowSOX9High showed decreased survival compared to SOX2HighSOX9Low. A survival analysis of patients stratified by radiotherapy and human papillomavirus brings additional clinical relevance. We identified a gene set signature comprising newly discovered candidate genes resulting from inverted SOX2/SOX9 expression. Moreover, the TGF-β pathway emerges as a significant predicted contributor to the overexpression of these candidate genes. In vitro findings reveal that silencing SOX2 enhances tumor radioresistance, while SOX9 silencing enhances radiosensitivity. These discoveries lay the groundwork for further studies on the therapeutic potential of transcription factors in optimizing HNSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Barbosa
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Morphological Sciences, Institute of Basic Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-003, RS, Brazil
| | - Natalia Koerich Laureano
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-004, RS, Brazil
| | - Wahyu Wijaya Hadiwikarta
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Core Center Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Fernanda Visioli
- Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-004, RS, Brazil
| | - Mahnaz Bonrouhi
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kinga Pajdzik
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cristina Conde-Lopez
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christel Herold-Mende
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gustavo Eidt
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Renan Langie
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-004, RS, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Lazzaron Lamers
- Department of Morphological Sciences, Institute of Basic Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90035-003, RS, Brazil
| | - Fabian Stögbauer
- Tissue Bank of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Germany and Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Jochen Hess
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ina Kurth
- Division of Radiooncology/Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Core Center Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology (HIRO), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Adriana Jou
- Molecular Mechanisms of Head and Neck Tumors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Dentistry, Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Pontifícial Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
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Jagadeeshan S, Novoplansky OZ, Cohen O, Kurth I, Hess J, Rosenberg AJ, Grandis JR, Elkabets M. New insights into RAS in head and neck cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188963. [PMID: 37619805 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
RAS genes are known to be dysregulated in cancer for several decades, and substantial effort has been dedicated to develop agents that reduce RAS expression or block RAS activation. The recent introduction of RAS inhibitors for cancer patients highlights the importance of comprehending RAS alterations in head and neck cancer (HNC). In this regard, we examine the published findings on RAS alterations and pathway activations in HNC, and summarize their role in HNC initiation, progression, and metastasis. Specifically, we focus on the intrinsic role of mutated-RAS on tumor cell signaling and its extrinsic role in determining tumor-microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity, including promoting angiogenesis and enhancing immune escape. Lastly, we summarize the intrinsic and extrinsic role of RAS alterations on therapy resistance to outline the potential of targeting RAS using a single agent or in combination with other therapeutic agents for HNC patients with RAS-activated tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankar Jagadeeshan
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Ofra Z Novoplansky
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Oded Cohen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Soroka Medical Center, Beersheva, Israel.
| | - Ina Kurth
- Division of Radiooncology-Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Jochen Hess
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Molecular Mechanisms of Head and Neck Tumors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ari J Rosenberg
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Jennifer R Grandis
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Moshe Elkabets
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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