Background: Wnt signaling pathway is associated with a variety of human cancers, including HNSCC. Wnt proteins control cellular events such as proliferation, fate specification, polarity, and migration by transducing signals to the nucleus through several cytoplasmic relay proteins. Although activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a frequent event in various cancers, there is limited knowledge on the contribution of this signaling mechanism in HNSCC. The Wwox tumor suppressor protein participates in the regulation of Wnt signaling by interacting with Dvl proteins. Methods: In this study, we used qRT-PCR and western blotting to examine the mRNA and protein levels of the Dvls in association with WWOX in HNSCC cell lines and tumor tissues. Results: We found that silencing of WWOX leads to increased nuclear localization of the Dvl proteins in cell lines. However, we detected an increase only in the nuclear localization of Dvl-1 in tumor tissues. Conclusions: Our results suggest that aberrant WWOX expression contributes to HNSCC through the Wnt signaling pathway. Decreased expression of WWOX may function in HNSCC progression by allowing the nuclear localization of Dvl proteins.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the hyaluronic acid (HA) and hyaluronidase‐1 (HYAL‐1) levels in laryngeal cancer patients. Study design Prospective, controlled clinical trial. Setting University Medical Center. Participants Fifty laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients and 50 volunteers who gave saliva samples investigated prospectively between 2016 and 2017. Methods Hyaluronidase‐1 expression was measured by RT‐PCR in normal and tumour tissue samples; hyaluronic acid values of saliva and tumour tissues were measured by ELISA method. Results HYAL‐1 expression increased 2.5‐fold in tumour tissues compared to normal tissues, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001).Mean saliva HA levels were 103.93 ± 69.04 ng/mL and 177.29 ± 98.44 ng/mL in the patients and controls’ saliva specimens, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.657). HA levels were higher in tumour tissue samples than saliva samples, but there was not statistically significant difference between saliva and tumour tissue HA levels. Conclusion HYAL‐1 expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas is elevated compared to normal tissues of same patients. Targeting this gene and HA catabolism products may use treatment of larynx cancer in the future.

Objective: Despite all the recent advancements, larynx cancer has shown no improvement in survival rates. The aim of this study was to investigate the expressions of toll-like receptor (TLR)- 2, -3 , and -4 genes, and determine any relationships with the histopathologic characteristics of the disease. Methods: This retrospective study included 50 subjects who underwent total or partial laryngectomy with an open surgical method for larynx squamous cell carcinoma. Measurements of TLRs-2, -3, and -4 expression values were taken with quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction in normal tissue and tumor tissue samples of the patients. Results: Evaluations were made of TLR-2, -3, and -4 mRNA expressions according to 2 -ΔΔCT calculations in 50 subjects with larynx cancer. When the tumor tissue was compared with the healthy tissue from the same subjects, reductions were determined in TLR expression in 86%, 84%, and 82%, respectively. This reduction in each gene expression was statistically significant (p<0.001). No statistically significant correlation was determined between the change in TLR-2, -3, and -4 expression and the histopathologic characteristics of the disease. Conclusion: The data obtained in this study demonstrated that TLR-2, -3, and -4 expressions were reduced in larynx squamous cell cancer. The results of further studies targeting these genes would be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

To elucidate the pathogenesis of prostate diseases, following in silico analysis, the LKB1 gene was selected for further investigation. The LKB1 gene has been associated with poor prognosis and is frequently mutated in different types of cancers. In this study, 50 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 57 prostate cancer (PCa) tissues, including matched normal tissue for the patients, were analyzed by qRT-PCR and DNA sequencing for LKB1 expression and the mutation profile, respectively. Expression of LKB1 was increased in 60.7% of the PCa tissues compared with noncancerous tissue samples ( p £ 0.001). However, LKB1 expression was lower when compared with normal tissues in BPH ( p = 0.920). Four coding sequence alterations were detected in BPH. Three silent mutations were located in codons 9, 32, and 275 and a missense mutation was observed in codon 384. Six alterations were identified in the intronic regions of the LKB1 gene in both PCa and BPH. Five mutations were observed in both patient groups. A new alteration in intron 6 was observed in a patient with PCa. The LKB1 gene may be associated with benign transformations rather than the tumors in prostate pathogenesis when its expression and mutation status are considered. However, the mechanism of LKB1 in PCa needs further studies.