TNFRSF10B, a Therapeutic Target for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through Integrated Bioinformatics and Preliminary...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) development is critically influenced by apoptosis regulators.
• Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10B (TNFRSF10B) is identified as a key player in OSCC apoptosis regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify pivotal genes regulating OSCC progression.
• To investigate the role of TNFRSF10B in OSCC development, prognosis, and as a potential therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

• Differential gene expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis.
• Lasso regression, Cox modeling, and validation in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and clinical samples.
• Protein-protein interaction network construction, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and in vitro siRNA-mediated gene knockdown experiments.

Main Results:

• TNFRSF10B was identified as a core gene significantly associated with unfavorable OSCC prognosis, exhibiting strong diagnostic power.
• Overexpression of TNFRSF10B correlated with advanced clinical stage, nodal metastasis, chemoresistance, and was implicated in extrinsic and necroptotic apoptosis pathways.
• Knockdown of TNFRSF10B suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis by modulating Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3/PARP activation.

Conclusions:

• TNFRSF10B promotes OSCC progression by inhibiting apoptosis, with its overexpression linked to poor prognosis.
• TNFRSF10B represents a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for OSCC.
• Targeting TNFRSF10B holds promise for restoring apoptosis and advancing precision therapy in OSCC.