Expression and Possible Molecular Mechanisms of microRNA-205-5p in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most prevalent malignancy worldwide, with high incidence and poor survival rates. Increased expression of microRNA-205-5p (miR-205-5p) may influence the outcomes of HNSCC, but the identities of miR-205-5p target genes and the potential signaling pathways related to HNSCC remain unclear. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-205-5p in the plasma of patients with HNSCC. We also performed a meta-analysis using data from relevant literature, and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases to evaluate the expression level of miR-205-5p in HNSCC. Next, we predicted the potential miR-205-5p target genes in HNSCC. We also used Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) for enrichment analyses adapted to investigate the dynamics and possible mechanisms of miR-205-5p in HNSCC. Lastly, we predicted the potential miR-205-5p target genes by evaluating their expression level and using Spearman analysis. Expression of miR-205-5p was higher in HNSCC tissues compared to normal unafflicted tissue samples (P < 0.05), and the corresponding summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) was 0.82.The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and DOR values were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.75-0.81), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60-0.73), 2.34 (95% CI: 1.45-3.76), 0.34 (95% CI: 0.19-0.60), and 8.16 (95% CI: 4.01-16.64), respectively. Based on GO and KEGG analyses, we found that miR-205-5p was correlated with the progression of HNSCC through association with signaling pathways, including the drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 pathway. Analysis of the target genes revealed that flavin-containing monooxygenase isoform 2 (FMO2) and alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) may be important targets of miR-205-5p. In summary, miR-205-5p may have a significant role in the prognosis of HNSCC and may serve as a potential biomarker in HNSCC.

Head and Neck Cancers Are Not Alike When Tarred with the Same Brush: An Epigenetic Perspective from the Cancerization Field to Prognosis

“…As observed for DNA methylation, alcohol metabolism is also related to the expression of microRNAs. ADH1B is a key controller of alcohol metabolism, affecting acetaldehyde levels in the body [161], and its expression was shown to be regulated by miR-205-5p in HNSCC [162]. Other genes related to alcohol metabolism, such as ADHFE1 and ALDH1A2, are indirectly regulated by miR-30a and miR-379-mediated DNMT3B downregulation in OSCC [154], as previously mentioned, revealing a crosstalk between the methylation machinery and microRNAs in the xenobiotic response.…”

Prognostic Immune-Related Genes of Patients With Ewing’s Sarcoma

“…The majority of the immune-related prognostic genes are related to the occurrence and development of different types of cancer. In neck squamous cell carcinoma, miR-205-5p may affect the occurrence and development of neck squamous cell carcinoma by acting on the target gene FMO2 (Zhou et al, 2020). As a potential tumor suppressor gene, GLCE participates in the occurrence and development of breast and lung cancer, mainly through the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and invasion/metastasis pathways.…”

Overexpression of POFUT1 promotes malignant phenotype and mediates perineural invasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most prevalent type of human cancer worldwide (Hersi et al, 2018). HNSCC develops in areas of the upper aerodigestive tract, accounting for over 95% of all head and neck cancers (HNCs) (Hersi et al, 2018; Z. Zhou et al, 2020). Currently, early stage tumors are generally treated with radiotherapy or surgery, while a combination of surgery and chemo‐radiotherapy is preferred for patients with late‐stage tumors.…”

“…HNSCC develops in areas of the upper aerodigestive tract, accounting for over 95% of all head and neck cancers (HNCs) (Hersi et al, 2018;Z. Zhou et al, 2020).…”