Role of Krüppel-like factor 4 and heat shock protein 27 in cancer of the larynx

Abstract

Abstract. Late detection and lack of standard treatment strategies in larynx cancer patients result in high levels of mortality and poor prognosis. Prognostic stratification of larynx cancer patients based on molecular prognostic tumor biomarkers may lead to more efficient clinical management. Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) and Heat Shock Protein 27 (HSP27) have an important role in tumorigenesis and are considered promising candidate biomarkers for various types of cancer. However, their role in larynx carcinoma remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine KLF4 and HSP27 expression profiles in laryngeal tumors. The protein and mRNA expression levels of KLF4 and HSP27 were evaluated by immunohistochemical and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses in 44 larynx carcinoma samples and 21 normal tissue samples, and then correlated with clinical characteristics. A differential expression of KLF4 and HSP27 was observed between normal and tumor tissues. The protein and mRNA expression levels of KLF4 were significantly decreased in larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) compared with normal tissue, whereas HSP27 was significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues, at the protein and mRNA levels. KLF4 expression decreased gradually with tumor progression whereas HSP27 expression increased. A significant difference was observed between stages I and IV. KLF4 and HSP27 exhibit opposite functions and roles in the carcinogenic process of LSCC. Their role in laryngeal cancer initiation and progression emphasizes their use as potential future targets for prognosis and treatment. KLF4 and HSP27 expression levels may act as potential biomarkers in patients with cancer of the larynx.

Biomarkers in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The Literature Review

“…In particular, a study carried out on 50 samples of LSCC reported a correlation between the cytoplasmatic expression of phosphorylated HSP27 and nuclear expression of both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated HSP27 and neck node metastases [31]. Moreover, the expression level of HSP27 is found to be related to tumor stage (p-value 0.0039) and grade of differentiation (p-value < 0.001) [29]. A 2007 study found that overexpression of this protein in LSCC induces chemoresistance against cisplatin without effects against RT.…”

“…Studies found that their overexpression and their role in carcinogenesis depend on the type of cancer [26,27]. For instance, HSP27 overexpression in breast, liver, and prostate cancers is related to poor prognosis, whereas its high expression in esophageal and lung squamous cell carcinoma is related to good prognosis [26,28,29].…”

The Role of KLF4 in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…KLF 4 can regulate multiple important biological processes such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis ( Kaushik et al, 2010 ; Mamonkin et al, 2013 ; Zhang et al, 2015 ; Miao et al, 2017 ; Xu et al, 2017 ). Amounts of previous studies focused on KLF 4 ’s role in cancer development and progression ( Karam et al, 2017 ; Yadav et al, 2018 ). KLF 4 is a dual-function transcription factor, which can exert its role as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor gene depending on the cancer type or cancer stage ( Evans and Liu, 2008 ).…”