The clinical significance and potential molecular mechanism of integrin subunit beta 4 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma
PATHOLOGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
Authors: Zhong, Feng; Lu, Hui-Ping; Chen, Gang; Dang, Yi-Wu; Li, Guo-Sheng; Chen, Xiao-Yi; Qin, Yong-Ying; Yao, Yu-Xuan; Zhang, Xiao-Guohui; Liang, Yao; Li, Ming-Xuan; Mo, Miao; Zhang, Kai-Lang; Ding, Hua; Huang, Zhi-Guang; Wei, Zhu-Xin
Abstract
The relationship between integrin beta 4 (ITGB4) expression and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains unclarified. The object of the present study was to explore the clinical significance and potential molecular mechanism of ITGB4 in LSCC. The protein level of ITGB4 was significantly higher in 46 LSCC patients than in 26 non-LSCC tissues detected by in-house immunohistochemistry. Consistently, ITGB4 mRNA level was also greatly upregulated based on microarray and RNA-seq data (standard mean difference, SMD = 1.62, 95 % CI: 1.23-2.00). And the area under curves (AUC) of summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) was 0.87 (95 % CI: 0.84-0.90) based on 172 cases of LSCC and 59 cases of non-cancerous controls. Ninety genes were intersected by the ITGB4 related genes and LSCC differential expressed genes (DEGs) from all available microarray and RNA-seq datasets. Based on Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, the top terms of biological process (BP), cellular component (CC) and molecular function (MF) for the 90 ITGB4 related DEGs were extracellular matrix organization, basement membrane and extracellular matrix structural constituent, respectively. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that ITGB4 related DEGs mainly participated in the pathways of ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion and Small cell lung cancer. Moreover, the Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network indicated that ITGA3, ITGA5, ITGB4, MET, LAMA3, and COL4A1 might be the core genes of LSCC development related to ITGB4. In conclusion, high ITGB4 expression may lead to the occurrence and development of LSCC via various signaling pathways.
miR-27b Suppresses Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Targeting ITGA5
ONCOTARGETS AND THERAPY
Authors: Li, Tao; Wu, Qian; Liu, Duanqin; Wang, Xuxia
Abstract
Background: MicroRNA27b-3p (miR-27b) has been reported to be dysregulated in multi-ple types of human cancer. However, the expression levels, biological roles, and underlying mechanism of miR-27b in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remain to be elucidated. Methods: Bioinformatics analyses and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to determine miR-27b expression in TSCC tissues and cell lines. The influence of miR-27b overexpression or inhibition on TSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and on tumor growth in vivo, was explored via CCK8, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell assays, and in xenograft tumors in nude mice, respectively. Luciferase reporter assays, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were performed to clarify the potential mechanisms involving miR-27b in TSCC cells. Results: miR-27b was significantly downregulated in TSCC tissues and cell lines, and its expression was correlated with cancer status. Overexpression of miR-27b led to diminished proliferation, migration, and invasion, and notably reduced tumor growth in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis followed by luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR-27b expression was inversely correlated with that of integrin subunit alpha 5 (ITGA5)and that miR27b directly bound to the 3'-untranslated region of ITGA5 in TSCC cells. The bioinformatics analysis also indicated that ITGA5 was upregulated in TSCC and that its expression was correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and poor prognosis. Moreover, we found that miRNA-27b could reverse ITGA5-induced promotion of TSCC cell proliferation and migration. Finally, we demonstrated that regulation of miR-27b expression in TSCC may result in alterations in the expression of ITGA5 and EMT-related marker genes at the mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion: These results indicate that miR-27b hampers TSCC proliferation and migration via suppressing the EMT process by targeting ITGA5. These findings support consideration of miR-27b/ITGA5 as a valuable marker for the metastatic potential of TSCC, or as a therapeutic target for the treatment of TSCC.