Oropharyngeal and laryngeal but not oral cancers are strongly associated with high-risk human papillomavirus in 172 Greek patients

NRSN2 promotes the malignant behavior of HPV-transfected laryngeal carcinoma cells through AMPK/ULK1 pathway mediated autophagy activation

Neurensin-2 (NRSN2) performs a pro-carcinogenic function in multiple cancers. However, the function of NRSN2 in HPV-infected laryngeal carcinoma (LC) remains unclear. HPV transfection was performed in LC cells. The mRNA and protein levels were monitored using RT-qPCR, immunoblotting, and IF. Cell viability and proliferation were found using the CCK-8 assay and Edu staining. Cell invasion, migration, and apoptosis were probed using the Transwell, wound healing, and flow cytometry, respectively. The autophagosome was observed using TEM. NRSN2 was overexpressed in HPV-transfected LC cells. Inhibition of NRSN2 restrained the autophagy and malignant behavior of HPV-transfected LC cells. Meanwhile, the inhibition of AMPK/ULK1 pathway limited the increased autophagy of HPV-transfected LC cells caused by NRSN2 overexpression. Furthermore, NRSN2 knockdown inhibits autophagy by suppressing AMPK/ULK1 pathway, thereby restraining the malignant behavior of HPV-transfected LC cells. Our research confirmed that HPV transfection increased the autophagy and malignant behavior of LC cells by regulating the NRSN2-mediated activation of the AMPK/ULK1 pathway, offering a new target for cure of LC.

Characteristics of human papillomavirus infection among oropharyngeal cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC), in order to provide a new theoretical basis for the prevention, treatment, and management of OPC.

METHODS

The electronic databases were searched available publications relevant to HPV infection and OPC. Studies were collected until July, 2023. The effect sizes were combined using R 4.2.2 software. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plot and Egger's test were used to assess the publication bias.

RESULTS

Seventy-one studies were included with 10,908 OPC patients. The pooled prevalence of HPV and HR-HPV infection was 44.22% and 43.94%, respectively. The genotypes of HR-HPV were HPV16 (37.24%), HPV33 (2.44%), HPV18 (1.64%), HPV35 (1.53%), and HPV58 (0.89%). The highest HPV infection was in North America (66.87%), Oceania (43.09%), and Europe (41.49%), lowest in Africa (4.89%). Females exhibited higher HPV infection (43.18% vs 34.59% in males). Top subsites of HPV infection was tonsil (45.78%), followed by base of tongue (36.66%). Infection was higher in OPC patients aged > 60 (38.15%) than < 60 (34.73%). The prevalence of HPV infection in stage I-II of OPC patients is higher than that in stage III-IV.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV genotyping (16, 18, 33, 35, 58) is a key factor in the prevention and treatment of OPC. Identifying tonsils, base of tongue, and soft palate as common subsites to improve early detection. Elderly women with high HPV infection require attention to risk management and health education for prevention.

A Contemporary Systematic Review on Repartition of HPV-Positivity in Oropharyngeal Cancer Worldwide

Significant variation in human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) across countries ranging from 11% in Brazil to 74% in New Zealand has been reported earlier. The aim of this study was to systematically review the most recently published studies on the occurrence of HPV in OPSCC globally. PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for articles assessing the occurrence of HPV+ OPSCC published between January 2016 and May 2021. Studies with a study period including 2015 and the following years were included. Both HPV DNA and/or p16 were accepted as indicators of HPV+ OPSCC. 31 studies were enrolled comprising 49,564 patients with OPSCC (range 12-42,024 patients per study) from 26 different countries covering all continents. The lowest occurrences of HPV+ OPSCC were observed in India (0%) and Spain (10%) and the highest occurrences were observed in Lebanon (85%) and Sweden (70%). We observed great variation in HPV prevalence in OPSCC worldwide varying from 0% to 85%. The highest occurrences of HPV+ OPSCC were found in general in Northern European countries, USA, Lebanon, China, and South Korea. We observed a trend of increase in HPV-positivity, indicating a mounting burden of HPV+ OPSCC.

High-throughput sequencing profile of laryngeal cancers: analysis of co-expression and competing endogenous RNA networks of circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and messenger RNAs

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently identified as new classes of non-coding RNAs which participate in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. However, the functions of these non-coding RNAs and gene expression patterns are largely unknown.

Methods

We carried out high-throughput sequencing to analyze the differential expression of RNAs in 5 coupled laryngeal cancer (LC) and corresponding adjacent noncancerous tissues. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to predict the functions of these non-coding RNAs via co-expression, competing endogenous RNA networks and pathway enrichment analysis. The differential expression of the selected RNAs were confirmed using RT-qPCR. The CCK8, EDU, Transwell, and wound healing assays were conducted to validate the biological functions of SNHG29 in LC. Western blot assay was performed to identify the effects of SNHG29 having on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition process. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to investigate whether the expression level of SNHG29 correlated with survival in LC patients. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the correlation between the expression of SNHG29 and clinicopathological parameters of the included patients.

Results

Compared to normal laryngeal tissues, 31,763 non-coding RNAs were upregulated and 11,557 non-coding RNAs were downregulated in cancer tissues. SNHG29 expression was low in the LC cell lines and tissues predicting a better clinical prognosis. SNHG29 was also found to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of LC, exerting a suppressive role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition process as well. SNHG29 downregulation was significantly correlated with differentiation (P=0.026), T-stage (P=0.041), lymphatic metastasis (P=0.044), and clinical stage (P=0.037). We found that the biological functions of differentially expressed transcripts included cell adhesion, biological adhesion, and migration and invasion related to adherens junction pathways.

Conclusions

Our study was the first to describe the non-coding RNA profile of LC, and suggested that dysregulated non-coding RNAs could be involved in LC tumorigenesis. SNHG29 was demonstrated to play crucial roles in inhibiting the pathogenesis and progression of LC. Our findings provide a new approach for further analyses of pathogenetic mechanisms, the detection of novel transcripts, and the identification of valuable biomarkers for this tumor.

Combined Effect of HPV and Several Gene SNPs in Laryngeal Cancer

Background and objectives: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common head and neck tumors. The molecular mechanism of LSCC remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Human papillomavirus (HPV) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TP53, MDM2, MDM4, MTHFR, CASP8, and CCR5 genes in LSCC, and to assess their correlations with patient survival. Materials and Methods: 49 LSCC patients were enrolled in this study. PCR and qRT-PCR were used to detect, identify, and quantify HPV. SNPs were genotyped using PCR and PCR-RFLP. Results: By analyzing the interactions of the SNPs of the genes with clinical parameters, the majority of patients with lymph node status (N1,2) were identified as carriers of MDM2T/G, CASP8ins/del, CCR5wt/wt SNP. Cluster analysis showed that patients with MDM2T/T SNP survive longer than patients identified as CASP8ins/ins, MTHFRC/C, and MDM4A/A variant carriers; meanwhile, LSCC patients with MDM2T/T polymorphic variant had the best survival. Multivariate analysis showed that HPV-positive patients without metastasis in regional lymph nodes (N0) and harboring CASP8ins/del variant had the best survival. Meanwhile, HPV-negative patients with identified metastasis in lymph nodes (N1 and N2) and CASP8ins/del variant had poor survival. Conclusions: This finding suggests patients survival prognosis and tumor behavior are different according HPV status, SNP variants, and clinical characteristics of the LSCC.

Current status of human papillomavirus positivity in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in Europe: a systematic review

Background: The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has been rising in the Western world in recent years. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is established as the main explanation.Aims/objectives: This study aims to review the most recently published studies on the repartition of HPV-positive OPSCC in Europe.Method and material: PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for articles addressing the distribution of HPV-positive and HPV-negative cases among OPSCC patients in Europe. Articles published in the period 2014-2018, with a study period including 2013 and the following years were included. The presence of HPV DNA and p16 overexpression, either solely or together, were accepted as indicators of HPV-positivity. Information on the anatomical sublocation of the tumour, definition of HPV-status, HPV type, HPV status, age, sex, TNM-stage, smoking habits and alcohol consumption were extracted.Results: Seven articles (n = 2075 patients, range: 22-926 patients per study) from seven European countries were included. The repartition of HPV-positivity ranged from 18% to 65%. The lowest occurrence of HPV-positivity was seen in Greece and the Netherlands, and the highest in Sweden and Denmark.Conclusion/significance: The highest share of HPV-positive patients with up to 65% was found in Nordic countries. The lowest share was found in Central and Southern European countries.

Mechanisms of IFNalpha-1a-Induced Apoptosis in a Laryngeal Cancer Cell Line

Background

Interferon alpha (IFNalpha) exerts its anti-proliferative effect on many human cancers. Among the 13 subtypes of human IFNalpha, IFNalpha-1 subtype has 2 variants, named IFNalpha-1a and IFNalpha-1b, that differ from each other in only 1 amino acid, at residue 114. However, the mechanism by which IFNalpha-1a mediates growth inhibition is still unclear.

Material/Methods

Human laryngeal carcinoma HEp2 cells were treated with IFNalpha-1a by either transient transfection or exogenous delivery. Western blot and RT-PCR analysis were carried out to assess apoptotic pathways active in IFNalpha-1a-treated HEp2 cells. Microarray analysis was conducted to uncover the differential gene expressions after IFNalpha-1a treatment. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was also performed.

Results

IFNalpha-1a markedly inhibited the proliferation and significantly promoted the apoptosis of HEp-2 cells. Mechanistic studies indicate that IFNalpha-1a-mediated cell apoptosis is directly linked to intrinsic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related apoptosis, but is independent of extrinsic apoptosis. The top 40 differentially expressed genes discovered by microarray analysis included 20 upregulated genes (e.g., IFI6, IFI27, IFI44L, and MIR548X) and 20 downregulated genes (e.g., PRKDC, HIST1H3B, DYNC1H1, and HIST1H2AM). KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that 4 out of 6 pathways are TP53-related.

Conclusions

We demonstrated a detailed mechanism involved in IFNalpha-1a-mediated anti-proliferation activity in human laryngeal carcinoma cells.

Effect of HPV Infection on the Occurrence and Development of Laryngeal Cancer: A Review

Laryngeal cancer has the second highest incidence of head and neck malignant tumors worldwide. In recent years, studies have shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may be a high-risk factor for laryngeal cancer and closely related to the development and prognosis of laryngeal cancer. The mechanism of the occurrence and development of laryngeal cancer caused by HPV infection needs investigation, as does a rapid and effective HPV detection method for effectively preventing the occurrence of laryngeal cancer and controlling its development. Many studies have explored the relation between HPV infection and laryngeal cancer. Here we review the research progress in investigating HPV infection in terms of DNA, mRNA and protein levels in the occurrence and development of laryngeal cancer and routine HPV detection methods.

Association study of cell cycle proteins and human papillomavirus in laryngeal cancer in Chinese population

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and analyse the relationship between HPV and the expression of cell cycle-related proteins.

DESIGN

The study consisted of LSCC between 2005 and 2011 in Tongren Hospital. Clinical data such as age, sex, smoking/alcohol consumption, and TNM stage were collected. HPV DNA and cell cycle-related proteins were assessed in terms of clinical features.

SETTING

Single-centre study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 332 LSCC patients were included in the study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The presence of genotype-specific HPV DNA was evaluated using PCR-RDB in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. All samples were also evaluated for p16^INK4A , p21^WAF1/CIP1 , P53, Cyclin D1, and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining by tissue microarray.

RESULTS

HPV DNA was detected in 45 of 332 (13.55%) patients with LSCC, with HPV-16 being the predominant genotype. The presence of HPV-16 DNA was significantly associated with basaloid squamous cell carcinoma and cystic lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Of the 332 patients, 36 (10.84%) were scored as p16^INK4A positivity and they were more likely to be female (P < 0.05). Cyclin D1-positivity and p21^WAF1/CIP1 -positivity were observed in 60.24% (200/332) and 40.66% (135/332), respectively. In 114 cases (34.33%), LSCCs had moderate- to -strong p53 accumulation, which was correlated with TNM stage (P < 0.05). HPV-16 DNA was correlated with p16^INK4A and manifested a higher Ki-67 labelling index and p21^WAF1/CIP1 expression than HPV-16-negative tumours (P < 0.05). No relationship was observed between Cyclin D1or P53 expression and HPV-16 infection (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

HPV DNA was detected in 13.55% patients with LSCC, with HPV-16 being the predominant genotype and it was correlated with p16^INK4A and manifested a higher Ki-67 labelling index and p21^WAF1/CIP1 expression than HPV-16-negative tumours.