MUC21 is downregulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma and associated with poor prognosis

Although mucins are generally linked to aggressive tumor behavior and poor clinical outcomes, the role of MUC21 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unexplored. Previous in vitro studies suggest that MUC21 may inhibit cancer cell adhesion, indicating its potential significance in OSCC pathogenesis.

We analyzed microarray data from 10 OSCC tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues (para-OSCC), along with GEO and TCGA RNA-seq datasets, to identify differentially expressed genes, including MUC21. qRT-PCR was performed to validate MUC21 expression and its co-expressed epithelial differentiation-related genes. Additionally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 102 paired OSCC/para-OSCC samples assessed the correlation between MUC21 expression and clinical outcomes. In vitro functional assays (CCK-8, wound healing, Transwell) were conducted using OSCC cell lines (CAL27, HN6) with MUC21 overexpression or knockdown.

MUC21 was significantly downregulated in OSCC compared to normal tissue, supported by high-throughput datasets, qRT-PCR, and IHC. We identified 11 co-expressed genes, including epithelial differentiation markers (KRT4, KRT13, CRNN), which were further validated. Low MUC21 expression correlated with pathological lymph node metastasis, poor tumor differentiation, and reduced survival. Furthermore, MUC21 Knockdown significantly increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in OSCC cell lines and vice versa.

MUC21 downregulation is associated with reduced epithelial differentiation, increased clinical aggressiveness, and worse prognosis in OSCC. MUC21 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and tumor suppressor gene in OSCC.