Identification of four key prognostic genes and three potential drugs in human papillomavirus negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Cancer Cell International

Jiang Li¹  Xi Yang²  Dahe Zhang³  Zhiyuan Zhang⁴  Guocai Tian⁴  You Fu⁴ 

[1] Department of Oral Pathology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;Research Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China;

关键词: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma;    Human papillomavirus;    Prognosis;    Biomarker;    Small molecule drugs;    NVP-AUY922;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12935-021-01863-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common tumor worldwide with poor prognosis. The pathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative HNSCCs differs. However, few studies have considered the HPV status when identifying biomarkers for HNSCC. Thus, the identification of biomarkers for HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCCs is urgently needed.MethodsThree microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were analyzed, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. Then, functional enrichment pathway analysis was performed and protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed. The expression of hub genes at both the mRNA and protein level was determined in Oncomine, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). In addition, survival analysis of the patient stratified by HPV status and the expression levels of key genes were performed based on TCGA data. The role of AREG, STAG3, CAV1 and C19orf57 in cancer were analyzed through Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The top ten small molecule drugs were identified and the therapeutic value of zonisamide, NVP-AUY922, PP-2 and fostamatinib was further evaluated in six HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines. Finally, the therapeutic value of NVP-AUY922 was tested in vivo based on three HPV-negative HNSCC models, and statistical analysis was performed.ResultsIn total, 47 DEGs were obtained, 11 of which were identified as hub genes. Biological process analysis indicated that the hub genes were associated with the G1/S transition of the mitotic cell cycle. Survival analysis uncovered that the prognostic value of AREG, STAG3, C19orf57 and CAV1 differed between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed the role of AREG, STAG3 and CAV1 in dysregulated pathways of tumor. Ten small molecules were identified as potential drugs specifically for HPV-positive or HPV-negative patients; three—NVP-AUY922, fostamatinib and PP-2—greatly inhibited the proliferation of six HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines in vitro, and NVP-AUY922 inhibited three HPV-negative HNSCC xenografts in vivo.ConclusionsIn conclusion, AREG, STAG3, C19orf57 and CAV1 are key prognostic factors and potential therapeutic targets in HPV-negative HNSCC. NVP-AUY922, fostamatinib and PP-2 may be effective drugs for HPV-negative HNSCC.

【 授权许可】

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