PCNA and grade in 13 canine oral squamous cell carcinomas: association with prognosis

Comparative Analysis of Cluster of Differentiation 57 and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Expression in Different Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Immunohistochemical Study

BACKGROUND

 The immune defense against tumor cells is mainly mediated by the natural killer (NK) cells. Cluster of differentiation 57 (CD57) is a 110-kd glycoprotein, typically expressed by the NK cells, attacks the cancer cells and inhibits tumor development. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a 36-kd auxiliary protein for DNA polymerase delta that correlates with cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. It is an essential component of DNA replication, DNA recombination, and DNA repair. The uncoordinated proliferation of PCNA protein characterizes the biological behavior of malignant lesions.

AIM

 The aim of the present study is to compare and correlate the expression of CD57 and PCNA in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) by immunohistochemistry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 This retrospective analysis comprises 30 samples of various grades of OSCCs and 10 samples of healthy mucosa. Sections of 4-5 µm thickness were done and stained with monoclonal anti-PCNA and anti-CD57 antibodies. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 16.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to analyze the data in this study. The expression of CD57 and PCNA was compared and correlated between the groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA) post hoc, Dunnet t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. For statistical significance, a p-value of 0.05 or less was used.

RESULTS

A significant decrease in CD57 labeling index was seen from well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (16.63 ± 2.33) to poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (5.53 ± 1.20) whereas the significant increase in PCNA labeling index was noted from well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (45.88 ± 2.20), followed by moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (72.77 ± 4.35).

CONCLUSION

 The combination of CD57 and PCNA biomarkers appears to be good indicators of the immune status of the patient and the aggressiveness of the lesion.

BUBR1 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Canine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Chromosomal instability (CIN) plays a key role in the carcinogenesis of several human cancers and can be related to the deregulation of core components of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) including BUBR1 protein kinase. These proteins have been related to tumor development and poor survival rates in human patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). To investigate the expression of the SAC proteins BUBR1, BUB3 and SPINDLY and also Ki-67 in canine OSCC, we performed an immunohistochemical evaluation in 60 canine OSCCs and compared them with clinical and pathological variables. BUBR1, Ki-67, BUB3 and SPINDLY protein expressions were detected in all cases and classified as with a high-expression extent score in 31 (51.7%) cases for BUBR1, 33 (58.9%) cases for BUB3 and 28 (50.9%) cases for SPINDLY. Ki-67 high expression was observed in 14 (25%) cases. An independent prognostic value for BUBR1 was found, where high BUBR1 expression was associated with lower survival (p = 0.012). These results indicate that BUBR1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in these tumors, suggesting the potential use for clinical applications as a prognostic biomarker and also as a pharmacological target in canine OSCC.

The effects of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and p53 in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the effect of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and p53 in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS

Multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and China National Knowledge Database, were searched for relevant studies and full-text articles that evaluated the effect of PCNA and p53 in patients with OSCC. Review Manager 5.2 was adopted to estimate the impact of the results among the selected articles. Forest plots, NOS table, sensitivity analysis, and bias analysis were also conducted.

RESULTS

In total, nine eligible studies satisfied the included criteria. High PCNA expression (>50%) was significantly more prevalent in OSCC than low PCNA expression (<50%) (OR =3.88; 95% CI: 2.04-7.37; P<0.0001; I²=0%). However, there was no significant difference between p53 and OSCC (OR =1.60; 95% CI: 0.18-14.63; P=0.68; I²=86%). Low PCNA expression had a higher 5-year overall survival in OSCC patients than high PCNA expression (OR =0.47; 95% CI: 0.27-0.80; P=0.005; I²=41%). Meanwhile, p53 negative had a higher 5-year overall survival than p53 positive (OR =0.20; 95% CI: 0.10-0.42; P<0.0001; I²=0%). There was no difference between high and low PCNA in terms of metastasis (OR =0.80 with 95% CI: 0.18-3.45, I²=63%, P of over effect =0.76). The overall results showed no difference between p53 and metastasis (OR =0.38 with 95% CI: 0.13-1.10, I²=0%, P of over effect =0.07).

DISCUSSION

PCNA and p53 might be suitable for prognostic and survival evaluation in OSCC patients.

Long-term survival in a cat with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery and chemotherapy

Case summary

A 13-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair cat was presented for further investigation of a right-sided cervical mass. Oral cavity examination revealed a unilateral, right tonsillar mass. Following a contrast-enhanced CT scan of head, thorax and abdomen, which showed no clear evidence of distant metastasis, cytology of the cervical mass was consistent with a metastatic retropharyngeal lymph node, and the patient underwent tonsillectomy and lymphadenectomy. The tumour was histopathologically confirmed to be a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with lymph node metastasis, and sequential chemotherapy treatments with carboplatin were administered. The cat underwent a second surgery to treat local recurrence and chemotherapy was continued. Subsequently, multiple lymphadenectomies to remove additional metastatic lymph nodes were performed, followed by adjuvant treatment with doxorubicin. Restaging procedures, performed every 3-6 months did not document any local recurrence nor any local or distant metastasis. The patient was euthanased after developing neoplastic pleural effusion 965 days following tonsillectomy.

Relevance and novel information

Tonsillar tumours are rare in cats, but clinical presentation can be similar to that in dogs. Treatment with surgery and chemotherapy, and more importantly multiple lymphadenectomies, may delay the onset of distant metastasis and it should be considered in similar cases to possibly prolong survival.

Overexpression of T-type calcium channel Cav3.1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma: association with proliferation and anti-apoptotic activity

Cav3.1, a subfamily of T-type calcium channel, is overexpressed in various human cancers and exerts important functions in tumor progression. This study is to identify the expression pattern and clinical significance of Cav3.1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Firstly, the expression levels of Cav3.1 in oral mucosa (OM), dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were determined and compared by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis. After that, human tissue microarrays, containing 29 OM, 23 dysplasia and 122 primary OSCC samples, were applied to investigate the expression levels of Cav3.1, proliferation markers [Ki-67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)] and cellular anti-apoptosis markers [B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)] by immunohistochemistry and digital pathology analysis. In addition, we determined the function of Cav3.1 using knockdown assays of Cav3.1 in vitro. The results demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expression of Cav3.1 were significantly higher in OSCC specimens, and Cav3.1 expression in primary OSCCs was correlated with tumor size and pathological grade. Statistical analysis of immunohistochemical staining showed that Cav3.1 was closely correlated with Ki-67, PCNA and Bcl-2. Functional studies showed that the knockdown of Cav3.1 in OSCC cell lines using RNA interference influenced cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro. Taken together, these findings suggested that Cav3.1 is overexpressed in OSCC tissues, also associated with proliferative and anti-apoptotic activity in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Comparison of Histological and Proliferation Features of Canine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on Intraoral Location: 36 Cases

Grade and labeling indices for immunohistochemical tumor proliferation markers Ki-67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were evaluated in 36 cases of canine oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) based upon intraoral location. Grade was significantly associated with location ( P = .035). Grade II tumors were most frequently diagnosed. Grade I tumors were identified in the gingiva and the buccal mucosa, and grade III tumors were seen in the gingiva and the tonsillar region. Animals with tumors arising from the tonsils and of the tongue tended to be older ( P = .007), and those in the former group were more likely to have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis ( P = .001). Mean expression of PCNA and Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) for all tumors were 62.54% and 50.70%, respectively, and there was a statistical significant association between the 2 variables ( R = .70; P < .001). Proliferation index was not associated with any of the intraoral locations evaluated, but higher PCNA PI was significantly associated with grade ( P = .031). Ki-67 PI was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis, especially for OSCC of gingival location ( P = .028). The results obtained in this study are preliminary but clinically relevant, since they provide information that can explain differences in biologic behavior among intraoral locations and contribute to more accurate tumor staging to support the choice for different treatment strategies available for OSCC.

Upregulated expression of MNX1-AS1 long noncoding RNA predicts poor prognosis in gastric cancer

As important regulators of gene expression long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. An oncogenic role of MNX1 antisense RNA 1 (MNX1-AS1) lncRNA has been suggested in cervical cancer and glioblastoma. In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological significance and biological function of MNX1-AS1 in gastric cancer (GC). The expression of MNX1-AS1 was analyzed by qRT-PCR in 96 GC and adjacent non-tumor tissues in relation to clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) of patients, and in five human GC cell lines compared to a normal gastric epithelial cell line. Loss-of-function experiments using small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting MNX1-AS1 (si-MNX1-AS1) were carried out in AGS and MGC-803 GC cell lines. Cell proliferation (CCK-8 assay), migration (Transwell) and invasion (Transwell Matrigel), and protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) were analyzed in transfected GC cells. Expression of MNX1-AS1 was significantly higher in GC vs. adjacent non-tumor tissues. Higher MNX1-AS1 expression was significantly associated with tumor size, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that GC patients with higher MNX1-AS1 expression had worse OS compared to patients with lower MNX1-AS1 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that MNX1-AS1 is an independent poor prognostic factor in GC. Knockdown of MNX1-AS1 significantly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of AGS and MGC-803 cells, and resulted in increased E-cadherin and decreased PCNA, N-cadherin, vimentin and MMP-9 expression. Taken together, these results suggest that MNX1-AS1 has an oncogenic function in GC and potential as a molecular target in GC therapy.

Proteomic analysis of canine oral tumor tissues using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and in-gel digestion coupled with mass spectrometry (GeLC MS/MS) approaches

Oral tumors, including highly invasive and metastatic oral melanoma (OM), non-tonsillar oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and benign tumors (BN), are common neoplasms in dogs. Although these tumors behave differently, limited data of their protein expression profiles have been exhibited, particularly at the proteome level. The present study aimed to i.) characterize peptide-mass fingerprints (PMFs) and identify potential protein candidates of OM, OSCC, BN and normal control subjects, using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), ii.) identify potential protein candidates associated with the diseases, using in-gel digestion coupled with mass spectrometric analysis (GeLC-MS/MS) and iii.) search for relationships between chemotherapy drugs and disease-perturbed proteins. A distinct cluster of each sample group and unique PMFs with identified protein candidates were revealed. The unique peptide fragment at 2,274 Da of sacsin molecular chaperone (SACS) was observed in early-stage OM whereas the fragment at 1,958 Da of sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 10 (SCN10A) was presented in early- and late-stage OM. The peptide mass at 2,316 Da of Notch1 appeared in early-stage OM and benign oral tumors while the peptide mass at 2,505 Da of glutamate ionotropic receptor N-methyl-D-aspartate type subunit 3A (GRIN3A) was identified in all groups. Markedly expressed proteins from GeLC-MS/MS included Jumonji domain containing 1C (JMJD1C) in benign tumors, inversin (INVS) and rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 28 (ARHGEF28) in OM, BTB domain-containing 16 (BTBD16) in OSCC, and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTPN1), BRCA2, DNA repair associated (BRCA2), WW domain binding protein 2 (WBP2), purinergic receptor P2Y1 and proteasome activator subunit 4 (PSME4) in all cancerous groups. The network connections between these proteins and chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin and doxorubicin, were also demonstrated. In conclusion, this study unveiled the unique PMFs and novel candidate protein markers of canine oral tumors.