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Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics
11:28

Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics

Published on: May 11, 2016

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NSUN2 Promotes Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression by Targeting EMT-Related Gene LAMC2 in an

Shuojin Huang1, Congyuan Cao1, Dongxiao Tang2

  • 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.

Biomedicines
|November 27, 2024
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The methyltransferase NSUN2 promotes head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) progression by stabilizing LAMC2 via m5C modification. Targeting NSUN2 offers a potential therapeutic strategy for HNSCC.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis.
  • 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modifications are increasingly recognized for their role in cancer progression.
  • The m5C methyltransferase NSUN2's function in HNSCC is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of NSUN2 in HNSCC.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which NSUN2 influences HNSCC.
  • To explore NSUN2 as a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of NSUN2 expression in clinical HNSCC samples and bioinformatic data.
  • Utilizing m5C-Bis-Seq to identify m5C modification changes and downstream targets.
  • In vitro and in vivo experiments to assess the impact of NSUN2 manipulation on tumor growth and metastasis.

Main Results:

  • NSUN2 was significantly upregulated in HNSCC tissues and correlated with poor prognosis.
  • NSUN2 knockdown reduced HNSCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, tumorigenicity, and lymph node metastasis.
  • m5C-Bis-Seq identified LAMC2 as a key downstream target affected by NSUN2 knockdown.

Conclusions:

  • NSUN2 promotes HNSCC initiation and progression by enhancing LAMC2 stability through m5C modification.
  • NSUN2-mediated LAMC2 stabilization activates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathways.
  • NSUN2 represents a promising epitranscriptomic target for HNSCC therapy.
Keywords:
LAMC2NSUN2epithelial–mesenchymal transitionhead and neck squamous cell carcinomamRNA m5C modifications

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