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Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics
Published on: May 14, 2016
Cuproptosis-associated CDKN2A is targeted by plicamycin to regulate the microenvironment in patients with head and
Kaihui Fan1, Yuke Dong1, Tao Li1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Zhengzhou Central Hospital affiliated with Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Abstract:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the most common malignancy of the head and neck, has an overall 5-year survival rate of <50%. Genes associated with cuproptosis, a newly identified copper-dependent form of cell death, are aberrantly expressed in various tumours. However, their role in HNSCC remains unknown. In this study, bioinformatic analysis revealed that the cuproptosis-related gene CDKN2A was correlated with the malignant behaviour of HNSCC. Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves showed that patients with high CDKN2A expression had a better prognosis. Multiomic analysis revealed that CDKN2A may be associated with cell cycle and immune cell infiltration in the tumour microenvironment and is important for maintaining systemic homeostasis in the body. Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations suggested strong binding between plicamycin and CDKN2A. And plicamycin inhibits the progression of HNSCC in cellular assays. In conclusion, this study elucidated a potential mechanism of action of the cuproptosis-associated gene CDKN2A in HNSCC and revealed that plicamycin targets CDKN2A to improve the prognosis of patients.
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