Accumulation of cytoplasmic CDC25A in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma leads to a dependency on CDC25A for cancer cell survival and tumor growth

The Development of CDC25A-Derived Phosphoseryl Peptides That Bind 14-3-3ε with High Affinities

Overexpression of the 14-3-3ε protein is associated with suppression of apoptosis in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). This antiapoptotic activity of 14-3-3ε is dependent on its binding to CDC25A; thus, inhibiting 14-3-3ε - CDC25A interaction is an attractive therapeutic approach to promote apoptosis in cSCC. In this regard, designing peptide inhibitors of 14-3-3ε - CDC25A interactions is of great interest. This work reports the rational design of peptide analogs of pS, a CDC25A-derived peptide that has been shown to inhibit 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interaction and promote apoptosis in cSCC with micromolar IC50. We designed new peptide analogs in silico by shortening the parent pS peptide from 14 to 9 amino acid residues; then, based on binding motifs of 14-3-3 proteins, we introduced modifications in the pS(174-182) peptide. We studied the binding of the peptides using conventional molecular dynamics (MD) and steered MD simulations, as well as biophysical methods. Our results showed that shortening the pS peptide from 14 to 9 amino acids reduced the affinity of the peptide. However, substituting Gln176 with either Phe or Tyr amino acids rescued the binding of the peptide. The optimized peptides obtained in this work can be candidates for inhibition of 14-3-3ε - CDC25A interactions in cSCC.

Optimizing Phosphopeptide Structures That Target 14-3-3ε in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

14-3-3ε is involved in various types of malignancies by increasing cell proliferation, promoting cell invasion, or inhibiting apoptosis. In cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), 14-3-3ε is overexpressed and mislocalized from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where it interacts with the cell division cycle 25 A (CDC25A) and suppresses apoptosis. Hence, inhibition of the 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interaction is an attractive target for promoting apoptosis in cSCC. In this work, we optimized the structure of our previously designed inhibitor of the 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interaction, pT, a phosphopeptide fragment corresponding to one of the two binding regions of CDC25A to 14-3-3ε. Starting from pT, we developed peptide analogs that bind 14-3-3ε with nanomolar affinities. Peptide analogs were designed by shortening the pT peptide and introducing modifications at position 510 of the pT(502-510) analog. Both molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and biophysical methods were used to determine peptide binding to 14-3-3ε. Shortening the pT peptide from 14 to 9 amino acid residues resulted in a peptide (pT(502-510)) that binds 14-3-3ε with a KD value of 45.2 nM. Gly to Phe substitution in position 510 of pT(502-510) led to further improvement in affinity (KD: 22.0 nM) of the peptide for 14-3-3ε. Our results suggest that the designed peptide analogs are potential candidates for inhibiting 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interactions in cSCC cells and thus inducing their apoptosis.

Optimizing Phosphopeptide Structures That Target 14-3-3ε in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

14-3-3ε is involved in various types of malignancies by increasing cell proliferation, promoting cell invasion or inhibiting apoptosis. In cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), 14-3-3ε is over expressed and mislocalized from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where it interacts with the cell division cycle 25 A (CDC25A) and suppresses apoptosis. Hence inhibition of the 14-3-3ε - CDC25A interaction is an attractive target for promoting apoptosis in cSCC. In this work, we optimized the structure of our previously designed inhibitor of 14-3-3ε - CDC25A interaction, pT, a phosphopeptide fragment corresponding to one of the two binding regions of CDC25A to 14-3-3ε. Starting from pT, we developed peptide analogs that bind 14-3-3ε with nanomolar affinities. Peptide analogs were designed by shortening the pT peptide, and introducing modifications at position 510 of the pT(502-510) analog. Both molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and biophysical methods were used to determine peptides binding to 14-3-3ε. Shortening the pT peptide from 14 to 9 amino acid residues resulted in a peptide (pT(502-510)) that binds 14-3-3ε with a KD value of 45.2 nM. Gly to Phe substitution in position 510 of pT(502-510) led to further improvement in affinity (KD: 22.0 nM) of the peptide for 14-3-3ε. Our results suggest that the designed peptide analogs are potential candidates for inhibiting 14-3-3ε -CDC25A interactions in cSCC cells; thus, inducing their apoptosis.

Immortalization-upregulated protein promotes pancreatic cancer progression by regulating NPM1/FHL1-mediated cell-cycle-checkpoint protein activity

Immortalization-upregulated protein (IMUP) plays a vital role in cell proliferation and tumor progression. However, its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. Here, we select IMUP as an alternative gene based on GeneChip analysis of clinical PDAC tissues and transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. IMUP expression is upregulated in PDAC tumor tissues. Moreover, high IMUP expression correlates with poor prognosis, while IMUP depletion inhibits PDAC cell proliferation and colony formation capacity in vitro, and decreases xenograft tumor growth in vivo. IMUP downregulation leads to cell-cycle arrest in the S phase. IMUP knockdown increases the expression of four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 1 (FHL1), which regulates the phosphorylation of cell division cycle 25A (CDC25A) by cycle checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) and promotes cytoplasmic distribution of CDC25A by interaction with 14-3-3ξ. Furthermore, FHL1 knockdown restores the effects induced by IMUP depletion. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and immunoprecipitation analysis further show that IMUP interacts directly with nucleophosmin (NPM1) and enhances its stability. DNA methylation sequencing shows that FHL1 promoter methylation decreases when IMUP is downregulated. Overexpression of NPM1 can increase the methylation level of FHL1, thereby decreasing its expression. Our study provides a novel perspective on IMUP/NPM1/FHL1-mediated cell-cycle arrest by regulating CDC25A phosphorylation in PDAC. These findings may provide a new therapeutic target for PDAC.

Stratifin promotes the growth and proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cancer cause of death worldwide. SFN plays a vital role in some malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of SFN in the development of HCC.

METHODS

The bioinformatics database was used to detect the expression of SFN and its prognosis in HCC patients. And the protein-protein interaction network was established. IHC and Elisa were used to analyze the expression level and clinical characteristics of SFN in HCC patients. Subsequently, siRNA knockdown of SFN expression in HCC cell lines was used to explore whether SFN could promote the development of HCC.

RESULTS

SFN was highly expressed in the tissues and serum of hepatocellular carcinoma, and its expression level was correlated with the tumor which was single or not in patients. Bioanalysis and histochemistry results showed that CDC25B was co-expressed with SFN in HCC, which may be the upstream and downstream signaling molecule of SFN. Knockdown of SFN can inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promote apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that SFN may play an important role in HCC progression and may interact with CDC25B to promote malignant progression of HCC, providing a molecular target for future HCC therapy.

The detection of mutation within goat cell division cycle 25 A and its effect on kidding number

Cell division cycle 25 A (CDC25A) accounts for an essential function on early folliculogenesis of female mammals, especially regulating the function of intra-ovarian, thus this gene is pinpointed as a candidate gene that influences the kidding number of goat. On this ground, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the reported 20-nt nucleotide variants locus (rs639467625) of the CDC25A gene influences kidding number in Shaanbei white cashmere goat (SBWC). The χ²-test showed that there were more ID genotypes in mothers of multiple lambs than in mothers of single lambs. Interestingly, this indel locus was related to the first-born kidding number in the group of SBWC goats (p < 0.05). Similarly, the result of the t-test was consistent with the result of the χ²-test, showed the kidding number of ID genotype individuals was large than that of II individuals (p < 0.05). These findings proved that the different genotypes of CDC25A have impacts on goat kidding numbers. Thus, the results led us to speculate that the ID genotype of CDC25A was one of the main indel influencing goat kidding numbers. Simultaneously, this study was expected to provide useful DNA markers for superior individuals selection by marker-assisted selection (MAS) and make a contribution to goats breeding.

MiR-99a-5p Constrains Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma Via Targeting CDC25A/IL6

MiR-99a-5p participates in processes and pathogenesis of varying diseases. However, the molecular mechanism of miR-99a-5p in human cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) remains unclear. Here, we found that miR-99a-5p was lowly expressed in CSCC cells and negatively associated with overall survival. In addition, cellular experiments including CCK8, wound healing, Transwell and flow cytometry assays disclosed that transfection of miR-99a-5p mimic could suppress the cell activity, cell migratory, and invasive abilities, and promote cell apoptosis, thus inhibiting the tumor progression of CSCC cells. Luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that miR-99a-5p targeted 3'-UTR of CDC25A. Also, enforced CDC25A level rescued the impact of miR-99a-5p on CSCC progression. Silencing CDC25A could restrain the mRNA and protein levels of IL-6 in CSCC. CDC25A overexpression or IL-6 treatment could attenuate inhibiting impact of miR-99a-5p overexpression on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These findings suggested that miR-99a-5p may play an anti-tumor role in tumor metastasis by targeting CDC25A/IL6 to hamper EMT process, which revealed a novel molecular mechanism in CSCC.

PTBP3 regulates proliferation of lung squamous cell carcinoma cells via CDC25A-mediated cell cycle progression

BACKGROUND

The roles of Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 3 (PTBP3) in regulating lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) cells progression is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PTBP3 in LUSC.

METHODS

Expression and survival analysis of PTBP3 was firstly investigated using TCGA datasets. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blot were performed to detect PTBP3 expression in clinical samples. Moreover, cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assays, colony formation assays and in vivo tumor formation assays were used to examine the effects of PTBP3 on LUSC cell proliferation. RNA-sequence and analysis explores pathways regulated by PTBP3.Flow cytology was used analyzed cell cycle. Cell cycle-related markers were analyzed by Western blot.

RESULTS

PTBP3 was found to be overexpressed in LUSC tissues compared with normal tissues. High PTBP3 expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis. In vitro and vivo experiments demonstrated that PTBP3 knockdown caused a significant decrease in the proliferation rate of cells. Bioinformatics analysis showed that PTBP3 involved in cell cycle pathway regulation in LUSC. Furthermore, PTBP3 knockdown arrested cell cycle progression at S phase via decreasing CDK2/Cyclin A2 complex. In addition, downregulation of PTBP3 significantly decreased the expression of CDC25A.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that PTBP3 regulated LUSC cell proliferation via cell cycle and might be a potential target for molecular therapy of LUSC.

Targeting chondrocytes for arresting bony fusion in ankylosing spondylitis

Bony fusion caused by pathological new bone formation manifests the clinical feature of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here we discovered spontaneous kyphosis, arthritis and bony fusion in mature CD4-Cre;Ptpn11^f/f mice, which present the pathophysiological features of AS. A population of CD4-Cre-expressing proliferating chondrocytes was SHP2 deficient, which could differentiate into pre-hypertrophic and hypertrophic chondrocytes. Functionally, SHP2 deficiency in chondrocytes impeded the fusion of epiphyseal plate and promoted chondrogenesis in joint cavity and enthesis. Mechanistically, aberrant chondrocytes promoted ectopic new bone formation through BMP6/pSmad1/5 signaling. It is worth emphasizing that such pathological thickness of growth plates was evident in adolescent humans with enthesitis-related arthritis, which could progress to AS in adulthood. Targeting dysfunctional chondrogenesis with Smo inhibitor sonidegib significantly alleviated the AS-like bone disease in mice. These findings suggest that blockade of chondrogenesis by sonidegib would be a drug repurposing strategy for AS treatment.

Current treatments cannot significantly alleviate the radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which results in joints stiffness and bony fusion of AS. Smo inhibitor sonidegib retards the pathological new bone formation in AS through targeting dysfunctional chondrogenesis.

Targeting 14-3-3ε activates apoptotic signaling to prevent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

More than a million cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the USA each year, and its incidence is increasing. Most of these malignancies arise from premalignant lesions, providing an opportunity for intervention before malignant progression. We previously documented how cytoplasmic mislocalization of CDC25A in premalignant and malignant skin cancers confers resistance to apoptotic cell death via a mechanism that depends on its interaction with 14-3-3ε. From these data, we hypothesized that 14-3-3ε overexpression drives skin tumor development and progression, such that targeting 14-3-3ε may be a useful strategy for skin cancer treatment. Like CDC25A, 14-3-3ε was overexpressed and mislocalized to the cytoplasm of both benign and malignant human skin cancer. Skin-targeted deletion of the 14-3-3ε gene reduced skin tumor development by 75% and blocked malignant progression. 14-3-3ε suppressed apoptosis through activation of Akt, leading to inhibition of BCL2 associated agonist of cell death and upregulation of Survivin. Using virtual tetrapeptide libraries, we developed a novel peptide that specifically blocked 14-3-3ε heterodimerization and thereby prevented its interaction with CDC25A. The peptide reduced prosurvival signaling, killed skin cancer cells and reduced skin tumor growth in xenograft. Normal skin keratinocytes were unaffected by inhibition or deletion of 14-3-3ε. Thus, targeting of 14-3-3ε dimerization is a promising strategy for the treatment of premalignant skin lesions.

TTK, CDC25A, and ESPL1 as Prognostic Biomarkers for Endometrial Cancer

Objective

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common malignant gynaecological tumours worldwide. This study was aimed at identifying EC prognostic genes and investigating the molecular mechanisms of these genes in EC.

Methods

Two mRNA datasets of EC were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The GEO2R tool and Draw Venn Diagram were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal endometrial tissues and EC tissues. Then, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Next, the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of these DEGs were determined by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) tool and Cytoscape with Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed by UALCAN to verify genes associated with significantly poor prognosis. Next, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to verify the expression levels of these selected genes. Additionally, a reanalysis of the KEGG pathways was performed to understand the potential biological functions of selected genes. Finally, the associations between these genes and clinical features were analysed based on TCGA cancer genomic datasets for EC.

Results

In EC tissues, compared with normal endometrial tissues, 147 of 249 DEGs were upregulated and 102 were downregulated. A total of 64 upregulated genes were assembled into a PPI network. Next, 14 genes were found to be both associated with significantly poor prognosis and highly expressed in EC tissues. Reanalysis of the KEGG pathways found that three of these genes were enriched in the cell cycle pathway. TTK, CDC25A, and ESPL1 showed higher expression in cancers with late stage and higher tumour grade.

Conclusion

In summary, through integrated bioinformatics approaches, we found three significant prognostic genes of EC, which might be potential therapeutic targets for EC patients.

Impact of Wnt/β-Catenin Inhibition on Cell Proliferation through CDC25A Downregulation in Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Simple Summary

Growing evidence suggests that Wnt signaling may be crucial for tumorigenesis and progression of soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Inhibitors of this pathway are currently in clinical trials or pre-clinical studies in order to validate its utility in different neoplasia. One of this inhibitors, PRI-724, is showing promising results for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma or ovarian cancer. We found that PRI-724 is able to suppress cell viability/proliferation and to increase cell death rates of soft tissue sarcomas cells in vitro. CDC25A, a target gene of Wnt signaling pathway, is essential for STS proliferation because its downregulation via siRNA was able to mimic the effect of PRT-724 on cell cycle arrest and evaluation of NCBI/GenBank data confirmed its overexpression in STS patients’ samples. Moreover, in vitro administration of PRI-724 along with standard STS chemotherapeutic drugs improved the efficacy of chemotherapy, suggesting that Wnt inhibition could be a promising new therapeutic strategy in STS.

Abstract

The Wnt signaling pathway is an important cellular mechanism for regulating differentiation processes as well as cell cycle events, and different inhibitors of this pathway, for example, PRI-724, are showing promising results in clinical trials for treatment of advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma or ovarian cancer. Growing evidence suggests that Wnt signaling may also be crucial for tumorigenesis and progression of soft tissue sarcomas (STS), a malignant neoplasm with few therapeutic options at an advanced state. Our study with several STS cell lines and primary cultures shows that inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling with PRI-724 is able to suppress cell viability/proliferation and to increase cell death rates. TCF/β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activity is decreased in treated cells, leading to downregulation of its target genes CCND1 and CDC25A. The latter was critical because its downregulation via siRNA was able to mimic the effect of PRI-724 on cell cycle arrest and cell death induction. An evaluation of NCBI/GenBank data confirmed that CDC25A mRNA is elevated in STS patients. Importantly, PRI-724 in combination with standard STS chemotherapeutics doxorubicin or trabectedin enhanced their antitumoral effect in a synergistic manner according to isobolographic analysis, suggesting that Wnt inhibition through PRI-724 could be a beneficial combination regime in patients with advanced STS.

Targeting 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interactions to trigger apoptotic cell death in skin cancer

Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide. We previously documented an anti-apoptotic role for CDC25A in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), an activity dependent on its association with 14-3-3 proteins. We hypothesized that targeting CDC25A-14-3-3ε interactions may be an effective strategy for inducing skin cancer cell apoptosis. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that CDC25A associated with 14-3-3ε, 14-3-3γ and 14-3-3ζ in SCC cells but not normal keratinocytes. 14-3-3ε and CDC25A activated Akt/BAD/Survivin pro-survival signaling. To target the interaction of 14-3-3ε with CDC25A for cancer therapy, we developed two novel phospho-peptides, pS and pT, corresponding to each of the 14-3-3 binding sites of CDC25A, to specifically interfere with 14-3-3ε binding to CDC25A. Peptides pT (IC₅₀ = 22.1 μM), and pS (IC₅₀ = 29 μM) induced SCC cell death and blocked 14-3-3ε binding to CDC25A. pS or pT treatment of SCC xenografts increased apoptotic cell death and decreased pro-survival P-Akt (S473) and Survivin, demonstrating the effectiveness of the peptides in vivo. These findings lay a framework for the further development of peptides to target 14-3-3ε-CDC25A interactions for skin cancer treatment.

CircRNA hsa_circ_0004771 promotes esophageal squamous cell cancer progression via miR-339-5p/CDC25A axis

Aim: The role of circRNAs in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) remains unclear. Materials & methods: Here we profiled six pair plasma circRNA in ESCC based on RNA sequencing, and then verified the elevation of hsa_circ_0004771 in 20 cancer tissues and 105 pair case-control plasma samples by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Results: The upregulation of hsa_circ_0004771 was correlated with heavier tumor burden and poor prognosis, knockdown of it inhibited the ESCC cells proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0004771 positively regulated CDC25A by acting as a molecular sponge of miR-339-5p and rescue assay confirmed this regulatory relationship. Conclusion: These results suggested that hsa_circ_0004771 can serve as a general less-invasive biomarker and may provide diagnostic and prognostic value in carcinoma.

Circular RNA Profiling Reveals That circRNA_104433 Regulates Cell Growth by Targeting miR-497-5p in Gastric Cancer

Background

The role and mechanism of hsa_circRNA_104433 in gastric cancer (GC) are further elucidated.

Materials and methods

CircRNA_104433 was selected by circRNA microarrays and GEO database. qRT-PCR was used to analyze the expression of circRNA_104433 in GC. The role of circRNA_104433 in GC cells was evaluated based on cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and tumor xenograft experiment assay. To explore the mechanisms of circRNA_104433 in GC TCGA database, STRING version, qRT-PCR and luciferase assay were performed. Furthermore, the prognostic value of CDC25A in GC was determined based on the GEO database.

Results

The level of circRNA_104433 showed upregulation in GC tissues, and the expression of it showed a positive correlation with the degree of differentiation and the size of the tumor. Knockdown of circRNA_104433 inhibited cell cycle transition, and cell proliferation, while promoted cell apoptosis in GC. CircRNA_104433 directly binds to miR-497-5p, which directly regulates CDC25A. The median survival period of GC patients with high expression levels of CDC25A was 21.3 months, which was shorter than those with low group expression of CDC25A (35.9 months). The cell cycle proteins CDK1, CDK2, CCNB1, PKMYT1, CDC20, CHEK1 and CDC25A were coexpressed with CDC25A.

Conclusion

These findings suggested that knockdown of circRNA_104433 expression suppressed tumor development in GC.

Aberrant localization of signaling proteins in skin cancer: Implications for treatment

Aberrant subcellular localization of signaling proteins can provide cancer cells with advantages such as resistance to apoptotic cell death, increased invasiveness and more rapid proliferation. Nuclear to cytoplasmic shifts in tumor-promoting proteins can lead to worse patient outcomes, providing opportunities to target cancer-specific processes. Herein, we review the significance of dysregulated protein localization with a focus on skin cancer. Altered localization of signaling proteins controlling cell cycle progression or cell death is a common feature of cancer. In some instances, aberrant subcellular localization results in an acquired prosurvival function. Taking advantage of this knowledge reveals novel targets useful in the development of cancer therapeutics.

14-3-3 epsilon plays an important role in testicular germ cell apoptosis: A functional proteomic study of experimental varicocele

The latest perspective indicates that apoptotic dysregulation is an important mechanism in male infertility induced by varicocele. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of apoptosis caused by varicocele, we used proteomics (2D-MALDI-TOF MS) to identify the altered proteins in the testes of experimental varicocele rats compared with the control. Here, 21 significantly different protein spots were detected by proteomics technology. 14-3-3 epsilon (14-3-3ε) was our subsequent research target because of its function in apoptosis. The expression of 14-3-3ε in rat testes was confirmed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) method was used to analyse the apoptosis of germ cells. GC-1 spg cells transfected with small interfering RNA were used to confirm the function of 14-3-3ε in vitro. 14-3-3ε protein expression decreased, accompanied by a higher apoptosis index in rat testes of the varicocele group. Furthermore, 14-3-3ε siRNA-treated GC-1 spg cells caused the upregulation of the apoptotic rate detected by flow cytometry. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was found to be regulated by 14-3-3ε in vitro. Our investigation demonstrated the pro-apoptotic function of the downregulation of 14-3-3ε, which may play an important role in germ cell apoptosis induced by varicocele.

Differential transmission of the molecular signature of RBSP3, LIMD1 and CDC25A in basal/ parabasal versus spinous of normal epithelium during head and neck tumorigenesis: A mechanistic study

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a global disease and mortality burden, necessitating the elucidation of its molecular progression for effective disease management. The study aims to understand the molecular profile of three candidate cell cycle regulatory genes, RBSP3, LIMD1 and CDC25A in the basal/ parabasal versus spinous layer of normal oral epithelium and during head and neck tumorigenesis. Immunohistochemical expression and promoter methylation was used to determine the molecular signature in normal oral epithelium. The mechanism of alteration transmission of this profile during tumorigenesis was then explored through additional deletion and mutation in HPV/ tobacco etiological groups, followed byclinico-pathological correlation. In basal/parabasal layer, the molecular signature of the genes was low protein expression/ high promoter methylation of RBSP3, high expression/ low methylation of LIMD1 and high expression of CDC25A. Dysplastic epithelium maintained the signature of RBSP3 through high methylation/ additional deletion with loss of the signatures of LIMD1 and CDC25A via deletion/ additional methylation. Similarly, maintenance and / or loss of signature in invasive tumors was by recurrent deletion/ methylation. Thus, differential patterns of alteration of the genes might be pre-requisite for the development of dysplastic and invasive lesions. Etiological factors played a key role in promoting genetic alterations and determining prognosis. Tobacco negative HNSCC patients had significantly lower alterations of LIMD1 and CDC25A, along with better survival among tobacco negative/ HPV positive patients. Our data suggests the necessity for perturbation of normal molecular profile of RBSP3, LIMD1 and CDC25A in conjunction with etiological factors for head and neck tumorigenesis, implying their diagnostic and prognostic significance.