The association between HPV gene expression, inflammatory agents and cellular genes involved in EMT in lung cancer tissue

Abstract

Background Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several studies have suggested that Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an important risk factor in the development of lung cancer. In this study, we aim to address the role of HPV in the development of lung cancer mechanistically by examining the induction of inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by this virus. Methods In this case-control study, tissue samples were collected from 102 cases with lung cancer and 48 controls. We examined the presence of HPV DNA and also the viral genotype in positive samples. We also examined the expression of viral genes (E2, E6 and E7), anti-carcinogenic genes (p53, retinoblastoma (RB)), and inflammatory cytokines in HPV positive cases. Results HPV DNA was detected in 52.9% (54/102) of the case samples and in 25% (12/48) of controls. A significant association was observed between a HPV positive status and lung cancer (OR = 3.37, 95% C.I = 1.58–7.22, P = 0.001). The most prevalent virus genotype in the patients was type 16 (38.8%). The expression of p53 and RB were decreased while and inflammatory cytokines were increased in HPV-positive lung cancer and HPV-positive control tissues compared to HPV-negative lung cancer and HPV-negative control tissues. Also, the expression level of E-cad and PTPN-13 genes were decreased in HPV- positive samples while the expression level of SLUG, TWIST and N-cad was increased in HPV-positive samples compared to negative samples. Conclusion Our study suggests that HPV infection drives the induction of inflammation and EMT which may promote in the development of lung cancer.

Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in a Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma of a Horse: Future Perspectives

“…Interestingly, Liu and colleagues reported that E6 and E7 oncoproteins enhance the expression of HIF-1α, as well as of ZEB-1, SNAIL-1, SLUG, and TWIST-1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, thus promoting the EMT process [37]. Recently, a study using human lung samples confirmed the E7 oncoprotein role in promoting EMT in human lung cancers, reporting correlations with E7 and E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and TGF-β expression [38]. According to the authors, the findings of the present work about EcPV oncoproteins and the EMT-related transcription factors and structural/adhesion proteins are in line with the literature and might represent a promising starting point to be further investigated.…”

Investigation of the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) Process in Equine Papillomavirus-2 (EcPV-2)-Positive Penile Squamous Cell Carcinomas

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