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Published on: November 2, 2020
Targeted transcriptome profiling of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and histologic grade-associated gene
Brittany Ruschkowski1, Bryan Lo1,2, Jason K Wasserman3,2
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Aims:
To characterise gene expression differences between oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and non-neoplastic oral mucosa using targeted transcriptome profiling and to evaluate gene expression patterns associated with tumour differentiation.
Methods:
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 16 resected OSCCs (3 well differentiated, 9 moderately differentiated and 4 poorly differentiated) and 7 non-neoplastic oral mucosa samples was analysed. RNA was isolated from microdissected tissue and profiled using a targeted next-generation sequencing assay. Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses were performed, including comparisons across histologic grades.
Results:
OSCC demonstrated broad transcriptomic differences compared with non-neoplastic oral mucosa, with enrichment of pathways related to extracellular matrix remodelling, cell adhesion, immune regulation, oncogenic signalling and cellular metabolism. Grade-stratified analyses identified additional differences involving epithelial differentiation, immune response, lipid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation pathways.
Conclusions:
OSCC exhibits broad transcriptomic dysregulation involving extracellular matrix remodelling, cell adhesion, immune signalling, oncogenic signalling and cellular metabolism. Grade-stratified findings demonstrate molecular differences associated with tumour differentiation but require validation in larger independent cohorts. These findings may inform future studies of biomarkers and biologically relevant pathways in OSCC.
