Identification of p53-target genes in human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer by integrative bioinformatics analysis

Bibliographic Details
Title: Identification of p53-target genes in human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer by integrative bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Amal Bouzid, Muwaffaq Al Ani, David de la Fuente, Zainab Mohamed Al Shareef, Asif Quadri, Rifat Hamoudi, Natheer Al-Rawi
Source: Frontiers in Oncology, Vol 13 (2023)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Subject Terms: head and neck cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, HPV, p53-target genes, MDM2, Prognosis biomarkers, Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
More Details: IntroductionHead and neck cancer (HNC) is a highly prevalent and heterogeneous malignancy. Although extensive efforts have been made to advance its treatment, the prognosis remained poor with increased mortality. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) have been associated with high risk in HNC. TP53, a tumor suppressor, is the most frequently altered gene in HNC, therefore, investigating its target genes for the identification of novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets in HPV-related HNC progression is highly recommended.MethodsTranscriptomic profiles from three independent gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets, including 44 HPV+ and 70 HPV- HNC patients, were subjected to integrative statistical and Bioinformatics analyses. For the top-selected marker, further in-silico validation in TCGA and GTEx databases and experimental validation in 65 (51 HPV- and 14 HPV+) subjects with histologically confirmed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have been performed.ResultsA total of 498 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified including 291 up-regulated genes and 207 down-regulated genes in HPV+ compared to HPV- HNSCC patients. Functional annotations and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that the up-regulated genes were significantly involved in p53-related pathways. The integrative analysis between the Hub-genes identified in the complex protein-protein network and the top frequent genes resulting from GSEA showed an intriguing correlation with five biomarkers which are EZH2, MDM2, PCNA, STAT5A and TYMS. Importantly, the MDM2 gene showed the highest gene expression difference between HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC (Average log2FC = 1.89). Further in-silico validation in a large HNSCC cohort from TCGA and GTEx databases confirmed the over-expression of MDM2 in HPV+ compared to HPV- HNSCC patients (p = 2.39E-05). IHC scoring showed that MDM2 protein expression was significantly higher in HPV+ compared to HPV- HNSCC patients (p = 0.031).DiscussionOur findings showed evidence that over-expression of MDM2, proto-oncogene, may affect the occurrence and proliferation of HPV-associated HNSCC by disturbing the p53-target genes and consequently the p53-related pathways.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2234-943X
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1128753/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2234-943X
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1128753
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/f2e2998544ec4010b9aa87b7dc45be63
Accession Number: edsdoj.f2e2998544ec4010b9aa87b7dc45be63
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:2234943X
DOI:10.3389/fonc.2023.1128753
Published in:Frontiers in Oncology
Language:English