Histone modifications: Targeting head and neck cancer stem cells

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and is responsible for a quarter of a million deaths annually. The survival rate for HNSCC patients is poor, showing only minor improvement in the last three decades. Despite new surgical techniques and chemotherapy protocols, tumor resistance to chemotherapy remains a significant challenge for HNSCC patients. Numerous mechanisms underlie chemoresistance, including genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer cells that may be acquired during treatment and activation of mitogenic signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer-of activated B cell, that cause reduced apoptosis. In addition to dysfunctional molecular signaling, emerging evidence reveals involvement of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor development and in tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These observations have sparked interest in understanding the mechanisms involved in the control of CSC function and fate. Post-translational modifications of histones dynamically influence gene expression independent of alterations to the DNA sequence. Recent findings from our group have shown that pharmacological induction of post-translational modifications of tumor histones dynamically modulates CSC plasticity. These findings suggest that a better understanding of the biology of CSCs in response to epigenetic switches and pharmacological inhibitors of histone function may directly translate to the development of a mechanism-based strategy to disrupt CSCs. In this review, we present and discuss current knowledge on epigenetic modifications of HNSCC and CSC response to DNA methylation and histone modifications. In addition, we discuss chromatin modifications and their role in tumor resistance to therapy.     

The stem cell code in oral epithelial tumorigenesis: ‘The cancer stem cell shift hypothesis’

Tumors of the oral cavity provide an ideal model to study various stages of epithelial tumor progression. A group of cancer cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs) eludes therapy, persists and initiates recurrence augmenting malignant spread of the disease. Hitherto, accurate identification and separation of such minimal residual cells have proven futile due to lack of identifiable traits to single out these cells from the heterogeneous tumor bulk. In this review we have compiled comprehensive evidence from comparative phenotypic and genotypic studies on normal oral mucosa as well as tumors of different grades to elucidate that differential expression patterns of putative stem cells markers may identify ‘minimal residual disease’ in oral squamous cell carcinoma. We propose the “cancer stem cell shift hypothesis” to explain the exact identity and switch-over, tumor-promoting mechanisms adapted by putative CSCs with correlation to tumor staging.     

LUCAT1 as an oncogene in tongue squamous cell carcinoma by targeting miR-375 expression

Emerging studies suggested that lncRNAs play a crucial molecular role in cancer development and progression. LncRNA LUCAT1 has been proved as oncogenic molecular in lung cancer, glioma, osteosarcoma, renal carcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, its roles and function mechanisms in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) are still unknown. We showed that the expression of LUCAT1 was up-regulated in the TSCC cells and tissues and the higher LUCAT1 expression was associated with the poor overall survival (OS). Knockdown expression of LUCAT1 suppressed TSCC cell proliferation, cycle and migration. In addition, we demonstrated that miR-375 overexpression inhibited the luciferase activity of LUCAT1 wild-type and knockdown LUCAT1 promoted the miR-375 expression in TSCC cell. Furthermore, we indicated that miR-375 expression was down-regulated in the TSCC cell lines and tissues and the lower expression of miR-375 was associated with poor OS. The expression of miR-375 was inversely correlated with LUCAT1 expression in the TSCC tissues. Knockdown LUCAT1 promoted TSCC cell proliferation, cell cycle and migration partly through regulating miR-375 expression. In summary, this study suggested the tumorigenic effect of lncRNA LUCAT1 in TSCC cells by targeting miR-375 expression.     

Cancer stem cell-like cells from a single cell of oral squamous carcinoma cell lines

Resistance of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) to conventional chemotherapy or radiation therapy might be due to cancer stem cells (CSCs). The development of novel anticancer drugs requires a simple method for the enrichment of CSCs. CSCs can be enriched from OSCC cell lines, for example, after cultivation in serum-free cell culture medium (SFM). In our study, we analyzed four OSCC cell lines for the presence of CSCs. CSC-like cells could not be enriched with SFM. However, cell lines obtained from holoclone colonies showed CSC-like properties such as a reduced rate of cell proliferation and a reduced sensitivity to Paclitaxel in comparison to cells from the parental lineage. Moreover, these cell lines differentially expressed the CSC-marker CD133, which is also upregulated in OSCC tissues. Interestingly, CD133⁺ cells in OSCC tissues expressed little to no Ki67, the cell proliferation marker that also indicates reduced drug sensitivity. Our study shows a method for the isolation of CSC-like cell lines from OSCC cell lines. These CSC-like cell lines could be new targets for the development of anticancer drugs under in vitro conditions.     

The enigmatic role of matrix metalloproteinases in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of oral squamous cell carcinoma: Implications and nutraceutical aspects

The most prevalent malignancy in the oral cavity is represented by oral squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive disease mostly detected in low-income communities. This neoplasia is mostly diffused in older men particularly exposed to risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and a diet rich in fatty foods and poor in vegetables. In oral squamous cell carcinoma, a wide range of matrix-cleaving proteinases are involved in extracellular matrix remodeling of cancer microenvironment. In particular, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) represent the major and most investigated protagonists. Owing to their strong involvement in malignant pathologies, MMPs are considered the most promising new biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The interest in studying MMPs in oral cancer biology is also owing to their prominent role in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is an intricate process involving different complex pathways. EMT-related proteins are attractive diagnostic biomarkers that characterize the activation of biological events that promote cancer's aggressive expansion. Different antioncogenic natural compounds have been investigated to counteract oral carcinogenesis, with the scope of obtaining better clinical results and lower morbidity. In particular, we describe the role of different nutraceuticals used for the regulation of MMP-related invasion and proliferation of oral cancer cells.     

CD9在口腔鳞状细胞癌中的表达水平及其临床意义

目的:口腔鳞状细胞癌是一类极易发生局部侵袭和淋巴结转移的恶性肿瘤,CD9蛋白在多种肿瘤的发生发展及侵袭转移过程中起到重要作用,本研究旨在分析CD9蛋白在口腔鳞状细胞癌中的表达水平及其临床意义。方法:收集我院诊断明确的口腔鳞癌肿瘤患者石蜡标本合计80例,通过免疫组化手段对CD9蛋白表达水平进行评价,并根据CD9蛋白的表达水平分组,分析患者的临床病理学特征与CD9蛋白的关系。结果:CD9在正常组织和癌旁组织正常表达,在肿瘤组织中表达率低,其表达水平和口腔鳞癌的分化程度,淋巴结转移及最终分期有相关性(P0.05)。结论:本研究结果揭示,CD9在口腔鳞状细胞癌的发生发展中起到重要作用,CD9蛋白水平的低表达或不表达可能预测着肿瘤具有更明显的恶性生物学行为,并可能成为口腔鳞状细胞癌预后的生物学指标及基因治疗的新靶点。     

Chemopreventive and therapeutic modulation of green tea polyphenols on drug metabolizing enzymes in 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide induced oral cancer

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Drugs can modulate the expression of drug metabolizing enzymes and are useful in chemoprevention as well as therapy in cancer. 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) is used to induce oral cancer in the present study. In the present investigation, the effect of green tea polyphenols (GTP) on the activities of cytochrome b5, cytochrome P450, cytochrome b5 reductase (cyt b5 R), cytochrome P450 reductase (cyt P450 R), arryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), DT-diaphorase (DTD)(Phase I enzymes) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and UDP-glucuronyl transferase (UDP-GT) (Phase II enzymes) were assessed in tongue and oral cavity. In induced rats, there was a decrease in the activity of Phase II enzymes and an increase in the activity of Phase I enzymes. On supplementation of GTP by both simultaneous and post treatment mode (200mg/kg) there was a significant increase in the activity of GST and UDP-GT and a significant decrease in the activity of Phase I enzymes. There was a significant decline in the number of tumors, tumor volume and oral squamous cell carcinoma in both simultaneous and post GTP treated animals relative to 4-NQO induced animals; on comparing simultaneous and post GTP treated animals the number of tumors, tumor volume and oral squamous cell carcinoma was significantly reduced in post treated animals. Thus inhibition of Phase I enzymes could be attributed to the protective efficacy of GTP which deactivates carcinogen and GTP induced the expression of Phase II enzymes that detoxifies the 4-NQO. It can be proposed that GTP plays role as a detoxifying agent by which its modulating role prevented/inhibited the formation of tumor.     

凋亡抑制蛋白XIAP在舌鳞癌组织中表达的研究

目的：研究XIAP在舌鳞癌组织中的表达情况及其与舌鳞癌临床病理特征的关系。方法：采用免疫组织化学SP法检测舌鳞癌组织（36例）以及癌旁正常舌粘膜组织（20例）中XIAP蛋白的表达,并分析其与舌鳞癌临床病理特征的关系。结果：XIAP在舌鳞癌组织中表达阳性率为86．1％,在癌旁正常粘膜组织中阳性率为35％,肿瘤组织中XIAP蛋白阳性率明显高于正常粘膜;不同病理分级及临床分期病例XIAP阳性表达差异无显著性。结论：XIAP蛋白的高表达与舌鳞癌的发生有相关性,可能在舌鳞癌的发生、发展过程中有重要作用。     

Knockdown of LINC01116 inhibits cell migration and invasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are linked to tumor development and progression. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance and biological role of LINC01116 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We identified 21 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs specific to HNSCC that were common in two microarray datasets. LINC01116 was highly overexpressed in HNSCC tissues and was correlated to shorter overall survival and relapse-free survival duration, as analyzed by the online Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis platform. LINC01116 was also overexpressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues, and LINC01116 silencing significantly inhibited the migration and invasion capacities of both cell lines by blocking the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. In addition, 125 coexpressing genes were identified by circlncRNAnet, and were mainly located on human autosomes and enriched in transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway. These findings indicate that LINC01116 might be a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.     

The molecular markers of cancer stem cells in head and neck tumors

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the six most common malignancy worldwide leading to more than 350,000 deaths annually. Despite recent advances in treatment modalities for these patients, there has been only a slight improvement of prognosis. As cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated in tumor cell survival, progression, and response to therapy, the identification of this tumor subpopulation would have important therapeutic and prognostic implications. In this structured appraisal of the literature, Embase, PubMed, and Ovid were searched for publications that investigated CSC markers of HNC in humans. The search was conducted under the PRISMA guidelines with clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for articles published in the last two decades. The review process resulted in the identification of some key CSC-associated molecules such as CD44, ALDH1, CD133, Oct3/4, Nanog, and Sox2, although a single common CSC sorting marker could not be found. These biomarkers were identified in a range of HNCs but the most common one was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), predominantly oral SCC. Patient cohorts were of variable size (3–195 individuals) and the most common technique used for detection was immunohistochemistry. Some of the molecules were associated with poor prognosis and may be able to inform the choice of appropriate treatment for these patients.     

Liquid biopsy: miRNA as a potential biomarker in oral cancer

Oral cancer is one of the leading cancers in South-Asian countries. Despite the easy access of the oral cavity, the detection and five year survival rates of OSCC patients are dismal. Identification of non-invasive biomarkers to determine the progression and recurrence of OSCC could be of immense help to patients. Recent studies on oral cancer suggest the importance of non-invasive biomarker development. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are one of the important components of the cell-free nucleic acids available in different body fluids. Here, we have reviewed the current understanding of circulating miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers in different body fluids of oral cancer patients. A number of circulating miRNAs are found to be common in the body fluids of OSCC patients, while many of these are study specific, the possible sources of this variability could be due to differences in sample processing, assay procedure, clinical stage of the disease, oral habit and environmental factors. The prognostic and therapeutic significance of these circulating miRNAs are suggested by several studies. Mir-371, mir-150, mir-21 and mir-7d were found to be potential prognostic markers, while mir-134, mir-146a, mir-338 and mir-371 were associated with metastases. The prognostic markers, mir-21 and mir-7d were also found to be significantly correlated with resistance to chemotherapy, while mir-375, mir-196 and mir-125b were significantly correlated with sensitivity to radiotherapy. Despite the promising roles of circulating miRNAs, challenges still remain in unravelling the exact regulation of these miRNAs before using them for targeted therapy.     

microRNA在口腔鳞癌中的研究进展

口腔鳞状细胞癌(OSCC)是口腔颌面部恶性肿瘤中最主要的一类,约占80%以上,好发于男性,但近年来女性的发病率也呈现逐年增加的趋势;microRNA,是一类稳定的短序列非编码RNA,其主要功能是在转录后水平参与靶基因的调控,近来研究已发现在OSCC患者中存在许多异常表达的microRNAs,而这些分子在OSAS的发生发展中扮演着重要的角色,异常的microRNA同样对OSCC的临床诊断、治疗以及判断预后都有着重要的作用;本文对当前microRNA在OSCC中的的异常表达、作用机制以及作为诊断标记物、治疗靶点的潜能进行了综述。     

No mutations found in exon 2 of gene p16CDKN2A during rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide

The medium-term tongue carcinogenesis assay is a useful model for studying oral squamous cell carcinomas phase by phase. The present study aimed to investigate mutations in exon 2 of gene p16CDKN2A during rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) using direct DNA-sequencing method. A total of 30 male Wistar rats were treated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) in drinking water for 4, 12, and 20 weeks at 50 ppm dose. Ten animals were used as negative control. No histopathological changes in tongue epithelia were observed among controls or in the group treated for 4 weeks with 4NQO. Following 12-week treatment, hyperplasia and epithelial dysplasia were found in mild and moderate forms. At 20 weeks, the tongue presented moderate and/or severe oral dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma, with squamous cell carcinoma in the majority of animals. No mutations were found in any experimental period evaluated that corresponded to normal oral mucosa, hyperplasia, dysplasia and squamous cell carcinomas. Taken together, our results suggest that p16CDKN2A mutations in exon 2 are not involved in the multistep tongue carcinogenesis of Wistar rats induced by 4NQO.     

口腔鳞癌细胞系NTCR中侧群细胞的相关研究

目的:口腔鳞癌是口腔颌面部常见的恶性肿瘤之一,本研究以侧群细胞为肿瘤干细胞突破口,通过检测、分选口腔鳞癌细胞系NTCR中侧群细胞(side population,SP)细胞亚群,深入研究不同细胞亚群的体内、外相关生物学特性,寻找口腔鳞癌中肿瘤干细胞存在的证据。方法:选取口腔鳞癌细胞系NTCR作为研究对象,Hoechst 33342染色后行流式细胞仪检测,分选口腔鳞状细胞癌中的SP细胞和非SP细胞,进行体外培养、长期分化和体内成瘤实验,对2种亚群细胞的体内和体外生物学特性进行检测和比较。结果:口腔鳞状细胞癌细胞系NTCR中含有9.3%SP细胞,其SP细胞在细胞的增殖能力、自我更新能力及裸鼠体内成瘤能力等方面与干细胞特性相似。结论:SP细胞可以认为是肿瘤干细胞的富集。进一步深入研究,有可能作为口腔鳞癌诊断、治疗和预后的靶标。     

Reversine suppresses oral squamous cell carcinoma via cell cycle arrest and concomitantly apoptosis and autophagy

Background

The effective therapies for oral cancer patients of stage III and IV are generally surgical excision and radiation combined with adjuvant chemotherapy using 5-Fu and Cisplatin. However, the five-year survival rate is still less than 30% in Taiwan. Therefore, evaluation of effective drugs for oral cancer treatment is an important issue. Many studies indicated that aurora kinases (A, B and C) were potential targets for cancer therapies. Reversine was proved to be a novel aurora kinases inhibitor with lower toxicity recently. In this study, the potentiality for reversine as an anticancer agent in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was evaluated.

Methods

Effects of reversine on cell growth, cell cycle progress, apoptosis, and autophagy were evaluated mainly by cell counting, flow cytometry, immunoblot, and immunofluorescence.

Results

The results demonstrated that reversine significantly suppressed the proliferation of two OSCC cell lines (OC2 and OCSL) and markedly rendered cell cycle arrest at G2/M stage. Reversine also induced cell death via both caspase-dependent and -independent apoptosis. In addition, reversine could inhibit Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathway, accounting for its ability to induce autophagy.

Conclusions

Taken together, reversine suppresses growth of OSCC via multiple mechanisms, which may be a unique advantage for developing novel therapeutic regimens for treatment of oral cancer in the future.     

肿瘤相关候选基因在舌鳞癌中的筛选

目的：寻找舌癌特异性相关基因,阐明舌癌发病的分子机制,为舌癌的诊断、治疗和预后提供分子靶标。方法：采用半定量RT-PCR方法检测了所选9个肿瘤相关基因DLC1、ANXA1、BCAT1、KRAS2、KCNJ8、LDHB、DNM1L、ETNK1、PTX1在舌鳞癌中的表达情况。结果：DLC1、ANXA1、LDHB、DNM1L、ETNK1、PTX16个基因在舌鳞癌组织与配对正常组织中无明显表达差异;而BCAT1、KRAS2、KCNJ8在舌鳞癌组织中表达上调,上调频率分别为45%（9/20）、50%（10/20）和33.3%（4/12）。结论：BCAT1、KRAS2和KCNJ8参与了舌鳞癌的发生发展,也为进一步在舌鳞癌中分析3个基因的功能提供实验依据。     

血管生成拟态和E-cad在食管鳞状细胞癌中的表达及临床意义

目的 探讨血管生成拟态( vasculogenic mimicry,VM)与E-钙粘蛋白(E-cadherin,E-cad))在食管鳞癌(esophageal squamous cell carcinoma)组织中的表达及意义.方法 收集食管鳞状细胞癌术后标本100例和30例癌旁正常食管黏膜,应用免疫组化法和组织化学法检测食管鳞状细胞癌和正常食管黏膜组织中VM和E-cad的表达情况.结果 在食管鳞状细胞癌组织和正常食管黏膜组织中,VM和E-cad的阳性表达率分别为47.0％、48.0％和0％、70.0％,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);VM及E-cad的表达与食管鳞癌的组织学分级、临床分期及淋巴结转移(P＜0.05);VM与E-cad在食管鳞癌中的表达呈负相关(r=-0.865,P=0.000).多因素分析:PTNM分期、淋巴结转移、VM和E-cad的表达是影响食管鳞癌根治术后患者预后的独立因素(P＜0.05);VM阳性组与阴性组的5年生存率分别为4.3％和64.2％,,差异有统计学意义(P=0.000);E-cad阳性组与阴性组5年生存率分别为60.4％和15.4％,差异有统计学意义(P=0.000).结论 具有VM结构的食管鳞状细胞癌的分化程度低,恶性度高,预后差,VM和E-cad表达的程度与食管鳞状细胞癌的进展和预后密切相关.