Association between a miRNA-146a polymorphism and susceptibility to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese patients: A meta-analysis of 8 case-control studies

The Role of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in MicroRNA Genes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Susceptibility and Prognosis

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. The identification of molecular alterations adding to the individual risk of HNSCC development and progression is one of the most important challenges in studies on cancer genetics. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which belong to the group of important post-transcriptional regulators of human gene expression, seem to be valuable options for consideration as key modifiers of individual cancer risk, and therefore may be helpful in predicting inter-individual differences in cancer risk, response to treatment and prognosis.

METHODS

There have not been many studies focused on the relationship between miRNA variants and HNSCC published in PubMed within the last 15 years. We found and analyzed 30 reviews, meta-analyses and research papers and revealed 14 SNPs which have been reported as significant in the context of HNSCC susceptibility and/or prognosis.

RESULTS

These 14 SNPs were located in 13 separate miRNAs. Among them, four were the most frequently studied (miRNA-146, -196, -149 and -499) and have been shown to have the greatest impact on the course of HNSCC. However, the presented results have been conflicting.

CONCLUSIONS

It must be concluded that, despite the years of studies, there are no conclusive reports demonstrating a significant role of SNPs in miRNAs in the context of the susceptibility to HNSCC or its prognosis.

Saliva as a potential non-invasive liquid biopsy for early and easy diagnosis/prognosis of head and neck cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are the most devastating diseases in India and southeast Asia. It is a preventable and curable disease if detected early. Tobacco and alcohol consumption are the two major risk-factors but infection of high-risk HPVs are also associated with development of predominantly oral and oropharyngeal carcinomas. Interestingly, unlike cervical cancer, HPV-induced HNSCCs show good prognosis and better survival in contrast, majority of tobacco-associated HPV-ve HNSCCs are highly aggressive with poor clinical outcome. Biomarker analysis in circulatory body-fluids for early cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring are becoming important in clinical practice. Early diagnosis using non-invasive saliva for oral or other diseases plays an important role in successful treatment and better prognosis. Saliva mirrors the body's state of health as it comes into direct contact with oral lesions and needs no trained manpower to collect, making it a suitable bio-fluid of choice for screening. Saliva can be used to detect not only virus, bacteria and other biomarkers but variety of molecular and genetic markers for an early detection, treatment and monitoring cancer and other diseases. The performance of saliva-based diagnostics are reported to be highly (≥95 %) sensitive and specific indicating the test's ability to correctly identify true positive or negative cases. This review focuses on the potentials of saliva in the early detection of not only HPV or other pathogens but also identification of highly reliable gene mutations, oral-microbiomes, metabolites, salivary cytokines, non-coding RNAs and exosomal miRNAs. It also discusses the importance of saliva as a reliable, cost-effective and an easy alternative to invasive procedures.

Influence of CASP9 c.-1339A>G and CASP3 c.-1191A>G variants in outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Abnormalities in the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, associated with single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in caspase (CASP) genes, alter head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) proliferation and progression. This prospective study aimed to evaluate whether CASP9 c.-1339A>G and CASP3 c.-1191A>G SNVs influence the outcome of patients with HNSCC. Two hundred sixty-two HNSCC patients were enrolled in the study.

METHODS

DNA and RNA of peripheral blood samples were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genotyping and quantitative PCR method for gene expression, respectively. Differences in CASP3 expressions were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank test, and Cox analyses.

RESULTS

CASP3 c.-1191AG or GG genotype was associated with higher CASP3 expression when compared with AA genotype (0.50 arbitrary units (AUs) ± 0.29 standard deviation (SD) vs 0.28 AUs ± 0.12 SD; P = .02). Patients with CASP9 c.-1339GG genotype had 1.54 more chance of presenting disease progression or relapse than patients with CASP9 c.-1339AA or AG genotype. Patients with CASP9 c.-1339GG and CASP3 c.-1191GG combined genotype had 2.64 more chance of presenting progression or relapse of the disease and 2.84 more chance of evolving to death than those with the remaining combined genotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide, for the first time, preliminary evidence that inherited abnormalities in the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, related to CASP9 c.-1339A>G and CASP3 c.-1191A>G SNVs, act as predictors of HNSCC patients' survival.

Validation of microRNA expression profile in Oral Lichenoid Disease through cytological samples

Background

To validate oral exfoliative cytology in the analysis of the microRNA expression profile in Oral Lichenoid Disease (OLD).

Material and Methods

The expression of 13 microRNAs identified and presented by our group in a previous study was analyzed in 26 cases, 16 diagnosed as OLD and 10 controls with no oral mucosal pathology. Cytological samples from the oral mucosa obtained using an Orcellex toothbrush were analyzed using RT-qPCR and TaqMan microRNA assays.

Results

The aberrant expression was validated for 2 microRNAs (miR-146a-5p and miR-7-1-3p) of those previously recognized in the biopsy study.

Conclusions

This is the first time that oral exfoliative cytology is validated in a study of the alterations of the expression of microRNAs in OLD. The alteration of miR-146a and miR-7 compared to controls was validated. These microRNAs are associated with both inflammatory and carcinogenic phenomena that are involved in the etiopathogenesis of this potentially malignant oral disorder.

Key words:microRNAs, lichen planus, epigenetics, cytological techniques.

Genetic polymorphisms of miRNA let7a-2 and pri-mir-34b/c are associated with an increased risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma and clinical/pathological features

microRNAs (miRNAs) as a group of short noncoding RNAs are crucial molecules in transcriptional and translational regulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Evidence showed there was an association between the miRNA polymorphisms and various cancers, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The present study aims to evaluate the possible effects of let7a-2 rs1143770 and pri-mir-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphisms on PTC susceptibility. A total of 120 patients with PTC and 130 age, sex, and race matched controls were enrolled in the case-control study. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used for genotyping of let7a-2 rs1143770 and pri-mir-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphisms. The let7a-2 rs1143770 CT and TT genotypes were associated with a 1.9-fold and 2.2-fold higher risk of PTC, respectively (P = 0.027 and P = 0.041). Moreover, the let7a-2 rs1143770 polymorphism was associated with increased PTC risk in both dominant (2-fold, P = 0.015) and the allelic model (1.5-fold, P = 0.03). The frequency of pri-mir-34b/c rs4938723TC genotype was significantly higher in patients with PTC and associated with a two-fold higher risk of PTC (P = 0.013). In addition, this polymorphism was associated with a 1.8-fold increased risk of PTC in dominant model (P = 0.021). The let7a-2 rs1143770CT genotype was associated with a 3.5-fold increased risk of N1 stage in PTC patients (P = 0.04), however, pri-mir-34b/c rs4938723TC genotype was associated with a 3.4-fold and 5.1-fold increased risk of III-IV stage and vascular invasion in PTC group, respectively (P = 0.04 and P = 0.04). In conclusion, the present study shows that let7a-2 rs1143770 and pri-mir-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphisms could be susceptible factors for PTC and some clinical features.

Meta-analyses of IL1A polymorphisms and the risk of several autoimmune diseases published in databases

Background

Based on published data, we aimed to quantitatively elucidate the possible genetic influence of rs17561 G/T and rs1800587 C/T polymorphisms of the IL1A (interleukin 1 alpha) gene in the susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases.

Methods

A series of meta-analyses were carried out. After database searching, we utilized our inclusion/exclusion criteria to screen and include the eligible studies. P_association (P value of association test), Bonferroni-corrected P_association value; false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P_association, ORs (odd ratios), and 95% CI (confidence interval) were generated to assess the magnitudes of genetic relationships.

Results

A total of 35 eligible articles were included. Pooled analysis data of both rs17561 G/T and rs1800587 C/T in the overall population indicated a negative association between cases of autoimmune diseases and negative controls (all P_association>0.05, Bonferroni-corrected P_association>0.05, FDR-corrected P_association>0.05). Similar results were found in most subgroup analyses (all P_association>0.05, Bonferroni-corrected P_association>0.05, FDR-corrected P_association>0.05), apart from the rs1800587 in the Graves’ disease subgroup, which showed an increased risk in some cases, compared with controls, under the models of allele T vs. C, carrier T vs. C, CT+TT vs. CC, and CT vs. CC (all P_association<0.05, Bonferroni-corrected P_association<0.05, FDR-corrected P_association>0.05, OR>1).

Conclusion

Based on the available data, C/T genotype of the rs1800587 polymorphism within IL1A gene may be associated with an increased Graves’ disease risk. We did not see evidence regarding a positive role for rs1800587 or rs17561 in the risk of other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis. These conclusions still merit further data support and molecular exploration.

MicroRNA‑195 is associated with regulating the pathophysiologic process of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be associated with the modulation of tumor development, including alterations associated with the development of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). The present study was designed to investigate whether miRNA‑195 was associated with the pathophysiologic process of human LSCC and to identify its potential roles and underlying molecular mechanisms. To determine whether miRNA‑195 serves a role in LSCC, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect miRNA‑195 expression in LSCC tissues. The tumor‑suppressive effect of miRNA‑195 was determined by in vitro assays. Gain‑of‑function studies using miRNA‑195 mimics were performed to investigate cell viability, migration and invasion, and apoptosis in the AMC‑HN‑8 cell line. Western blotting was performed to reveal the molecular mechanisms of miRNA‑195 and its downstream signaling pathways in the LSCC AMC‑HN‑8 cell line. The present study demonstrated that miRNA‑195 is downregulated in primary LSCC tumors. Upregulating miRNA‑195 in vitro suppressed cell viability, migration and invasion in AMC‑HN‑8 cells. Overexpression of miRNA‑195 alone in AMC‑HN‑8 cells was sufficient to induce cell apoptosis, as identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Compared with the high expression of miRNA‑195 in AMC‑HN‑8 cells, the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‑II protein and downstream signaling pathway proteins, which were associated with cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis, were markedly decreased compared with control or miRNA‑195 negative control treatment group. Together, these data suggest the therapeutic potential of miRNA‑195 in modulating cell growth, migration and apoptosis during the pathophysiological progression of LSCC and that miRNA‑195 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in human LSCC.