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Background: This study aimed to identify a candidate gene associated with paclitaxel (PTX) resistance and to evaluate functionally its biological role in the PTX-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and clinical specimens., Methods: Microarray data series containing samples of different types of cancers resistant to PTX were analyzed and then a candidate gene associated with PTX resistance was identified using various bioinformatics tools. After the suppression of the target gene expression, changes in cell viability and colony-forming ability were evaluated in PTX-resistant FaDu and SCC-9 cell lines., Results: Bioinformatics analyses of upregulated genes in PTX-resistant cancer cells indicated that OAS3 was associated with PTX resistance. The downregulation of OAS3 expression significantly reduced the viability and colony-forming capacity of PTX-resistant SCC-9 cells by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase., Conclusions: The therapeutic targeting of OAS3 may resensitize PTX-resistant HNSCC cells with high OAS3 expression to PTX treatment., (© 2024 The Authors. Head & Neck published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most aggressive neoplasms, which requires more effective prevention and treatment modalities. Previous studies found that protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1) upregulation promotes carcinogenesis, although the potential roles, underlying molecular mechanisms, and biological implications of POFUT1 in HNSCC were not investigated. In this study, in silico analyses referred POFUT1 as a potential oncogene in HNSCC. Further analysis of tumor and normal tissue samples as well as HNSCC cells with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry showed significant overexpression of POFUT1 in HNSCC clinical tumor tissue specimens and cell lines compared to corresponding controls. In vitro investigations revealed that overexpression of POFUT1 promoted phenotypes associated with cancer aggressiveness and its knockdown in HNSCC cells suppressed those phenotypes. Further xenograft experiments demonstrated that POFUT1 is an oncogene in vivo for HNSCC. Immunohistochemical analysis with human clinical samples and cancer cell-dorsal root ganglion ex-vivo coculture model showed that deregulation of POFUT1 is involved in the perineural invasion of HNSCC cells. These results suggest POFUT1 expression as a potential prognostic marker for patients with head and neck cancer and highlight its potential as a target for HNSCC therapy, although more molecular clues are needed to better define the functions of POFUT1 related to HNSCC carcinogenesis., (© 2023 International Federation of Cell Biology.)

Background: Major milestones of head and neck carcinogenesis have been associated with various genetic abnormalities; however, a clear picture of the molecular networks deregulated during the carcinogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) has not yet completely revealed., Methods: In this study, we used in silico tools and online data sets to evaluate the underlying reasons for the expressional changes of genes residing within the chromosome 3q and to help understanding their contributions to HNSC carcinogenesis., Results: We found that 13 of 20 most upregulated genes in HNSC are localized to 3q. Further analysis revealed a gene signature consisting of DHX36, OPA1, and SENP2, which showed significant correlation in HNSC samples and potentially be deregulated through similar mechanisms including DNA amplification, transcriptional, and posttranscriptional regulation., Conclusions: Considering our findings, we suggest DHX36, OPA1, and SENP2 genes as overexpressed in HNSC tumors and that might be concurrently involved in HNSC carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and induction of angiogenic pathways., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: In this study, we aimed at investigating the expressions of miR-145 and its well-characterized direct targets on carboplatin treatment., Study Design: Laboratory study., Methods: The effect of carboplatin and miR-145 on the proliferative capacity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells was evaluated using Cell Viability Detection Kit-8. Expressions of miR-145 and its targets were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction on carboplatin treatment and p53 inhibition. Western blot was used to measure the levels of p53 and its acetylated versions in cells treated with carboplatin and/or pifithrin-α., Results: We demonstrated that carboplatin induced the expression of miR-145 in a dose-dependent manner and suppressed the expressions of miR-145 direct targets. In addition, we showed that inhibition of p53 by pifithrin-α in carboplatin-treated cells reduced miR-145 expression and reversed the suppression of miR-145 direct targets., Conclusions: Considering all these findings together, one of the proposed mechanisms of carboplatin to kill cells might be the induction of miR-145 and deregulation of its targets in parallel, via p53 activation, which happens through carboplatin's DNA-damaging property. To the best of our knowledge, these findings are the first to reveal the relationship between carboplatin and miR-145 in cancer cells., Level of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 2019., (© 2019 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)