Shetty, S.S., Sharma, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-9235-0176, Padam, K.S.R. orcid.org/0000-0001-5983-0066 et al. (3 more authors) (2024) The interplay of EMT and stemness driving malignant transformation of Oral Submucous Fibrosis. Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research, 14 (1). pp. 63-71. ISSN 2212-4268
Abstract
Background
Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a persistent oral mucosal condition that carries an elevated risk of undergoing malignant transformation. Our objective was to elucidate the involvement of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OSF and its progression to malignancy by studying a panel of EMT markers, thereby understanding the molecular mechanisms.
Methods
An immunohistochemical analysis was done to detect the presence of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, pan-cytokeratin (PanCK), vimentin, α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin), and CD44 in a total of 100 tissue samples. These samples comprised 40 cases of OSF, 20 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma associated with OSF (OSFSCC), and 40 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A whole transcriptomic analysis was performed on a group of seven matched samples encompassing NOM, OSF, OSFSCC, and OSCC.
Results
We observed significantly decreased expression of E-cadherin and PanCK, while N-cadherin, vimentin, α-SMA, and CD44 showed significantly higher expression in OSFSCC and OSCC as compared to OSF, both at protein and RNA levels. CD44 expression was noticeably higher in OSFSCC (p < 0.001) than in OSCC.
Conclusion
Downregulation of epithelial markers with concomitant upregulation of mesenchymal and stem cell markers suggests the potential role of EMT and stemness in accelerating the pathogenesis and malignant transformation of OSF. The high levels of CD44 expression seen in OSFSCC indicate a high propensity for aggressiveness and acquisition of stem-like characteristics by the cells undergoing EMT.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Craniofacial Research Foundation. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Epithelial to mesenchymal transition; Malignant transformation; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Oral submucous fibrosis; Stemness |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Clinical Dentistry (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 08 Feb 2024 09:36 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2024 09:36 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jobcr.2023.12.006 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208713 |