The lncRNA and miRNA regulatory axis in HPV16-positive oropharyngeal cancers.

The global rise of oropharyngeal cancers (OPC) associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 necessitates a deeper understanding of their underlying molecular mechanisms. Our study utilised RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify and analyse differentially expressed (DE) long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in HPV16-positive OPC, and to elucidate the interplay within the lncRNA/miRNA/mRNA regulatory network. We revealed 1929 DE lncRNAs and identified a significant expression shift in 37 of these, suggesting a regulatory 'sponge' function for miRNAs that modulate cellular processes. Notably, the lncRNA Linc00911 exhibited decreased expression in HPV16-positive OPC, a change directly attributable to HPV oncogenes E6 and E7 as confirmed by RT-qPCR in cell lines and patient samples. Our comprehensive analysis presents an expansive landscape of ncRNA-mRNA interactions, offering a resource for the ongoing pursuit of elucidating the molecular underpinnings of HPV-driven OPC.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)