Autophagy and head and neck cancer

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Autophagy is an intracellular degradative process occurring under stressful conditions. Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical, regulates autophagy and apoptosis in several cancers. However, the effect of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell adaptation to high nitric oxide (HNO) on autophagy remains unknown. We investigated the autophagy and apoptotic changes in the HNO-adapted HNSCC cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isogenic primary HNSCC (HN18/HN30) and metastatic (HN17/HN31) cell lines were evaluated...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a public health burden with increasing morbidity and mortality rates and health care costs. Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is the most common cause of AKI. Cisplatin (CIS) is a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of a wide variety of malignancies such as lung, breast, ovary, testis, bladder, cervix, and head and neck cancers. Autophagy plays an important role in AKI. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is significantly increased in renal tubules in AKI; however, its role in autophagy is not well understood...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant cancer of the head and neck, with high morbidity and mortality, ranking as the sixth most common cancer in the world. The treatment of OSCC is mainly radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, however, the prognosis of patients is still poor and the recurrence rate is high. This paper reviews the range of effects of natural medicinal plant active ingredients (NMPAIs) on OSCC cancer, including the types of NMPAIs, anti-cancer mechanisms, involved signaling pathways, and clinical trials...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a cancer type with a high rate of recurrence and a poor prognosis. Tumor chemo-resistance remains an issue for OSCC patients despite the availability of multimodal therapy options, which causes an increase in tumor invasiveness. Vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), appears to be one of the most significant molecules implicated in MDR in tumors like OSCC. It is primarily responsible for controlling the acidity in the solid tumors' microenvironment, which interferes with the absorption of chemotherapeutic medications...

BACKGROUND: Autophagy, a crucial cellular mechanism, facilitates the degradation and removal of misfolded proteins and impaired organelles. Recent research has increasingly highlighted the intimate connection between autophagy and heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the context of tumor development. However, the specific role and underlying mechanisms of heat shock protein 90 beta family member 1 (HSP90B1) in modulating autophagy within head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain elusive...

OBJECTIVES: Salivary gland injury is one of the most common complications of radiotherapy in head-and-neck cancers. This study investigated the mechanism by which rapamycin prevents irradiation (IR)-induced injury in the parotid glands. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Miniature pigs either received (a) no treatment (NT), (b) IR in the right parotid gland for 5 consecutive days (IR), or intraperitoneal administration of rapamycin (Rap) 1 h prior to IR (IR + Rap)...

OBJECTIVE: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the world's eight most common malignancies and a severe hazard to human health. Transmembrane protein 208 (TMEM208) has been reported to be associated with autophagy,which is strongly tied to the onset and development of numerous illnesses, including cancer. For this reason, we investigated the expression and prognostic significance of TMEM208 in HNSCC. METHODS: To explore the role and molecular mechanism of this gene in HNSCC, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the TMEM208 gene, including gene expression analysis, prognostic analysis, and immune infiltration analysis using the UALCAN, HPA, CVCDAP, DAVID, TIMER, CIBERSORTx, TISIDB, and cBioPortal online databases...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a primary cause of cervical and head-and-neck cancers. The HPV genome enters the nucleus during mitosis when the nuclear envelope disassembles. Given that lamins maintain nuclear integrity during interphase, we asked to what extent their loss would affect early HPV infection. To address this question, we infected human cervical cancer cells and keratinocytes lacking the major lamins with a HPV16 pseudovirus (HP-PsV) encoding an EGFP reporter. We found that a sustained reduction or complete loss of lamin B1 significantly increased HP-PsV infection rate...

Despite obvious tumor shrinkage, relapse after chemotherapy remains a main cause of cancer-related mortality, indicating that a subpopulation of cancer cells acquires chemoresistance and lingers after treatment. However, the mechanism involved in the emergence of chemoresistant cells remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the degradation of mitochondria via autophagy leads to a dormant state in a subpopulation of cancer cells and confers on them resistance to lethal cisplatin (DDP) exposure. The surviving DDP-resistant cells (hereafter, DRCs) have a lower metabolic rate but a stronger potential malignant potential...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Despite advances in therapeutic management and immunotherapy, the 5-year survival rate for head and neck cancer remains at ~66% of all diagnosed cases. A better definition of drivers of HPV-negative HNSCC that are targetable points of tumor vulnerability could lead to significant clinical advances. NSD1 is a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes histone H3 lysine 36 di-methylation (H3K36me2 ); mutations inactivating NSD1 have been linked to improved outcomes in HNSCC...

PURPOSE: Human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) displays distinct epidemiological, clinical, and molecular characteristics compared to the negative counterpart. Alterations in autophagy play an important role in cancer, and emerging evidence indicates an interplay of autophagy in HNSCC carcinogenesis and tumor promotion. However, the influence of HPV infection on autophagy in HNSCC has received less attention and has not been previously reviewed...

Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a prominent global cancer that manifests across diverse sites such as the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genetic alterations contribute to HNSCC development. Objective To investigate the complex role of breast carcinoma amplified sequence (BCAS3) in HNSCC pathogenesis. Methods We used multiple databases to analyze BCAS3 expression in HNSCC using The Cancer Genome Atlas-Head-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (TCGA-HNSC) dataset and validated it in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)...

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy has been proven vital in the last two decades for the treatment of multiple cancer types, including nonsmall cell lung cancer, glioblastoma, breast cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, the majority of approved EGFR inhibitors fall into the drug resistance category because of continuous mutations and acquired resistance. Recently, autophagy has surfaced as one of the emerging underlying mechanisms behind resistance to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is featured by notorious EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance attributable to activation of parallel pathways. The numerous phase I/II trials have rarely shown encouraging clinical outcomes of EGFR-TKIs during treatment in HNSCC patients with advanced tumors. A unique IL-6/STAT3 signaling axis is reported to regulate multiple cancer-related pathways, but whether this signaling is correlated with reduced EGFR-TKI responsiveness is unclear. Here, we found that STAT3 signaling is compensatorily upregulated after EGFR-TKI exposure and confers anti-EGFR therapy resistance during HNSCC therapy...

As a malignant head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has high morbidity. Parkin expression has been reported to be reduced in NPC tissues and its upregulation could enhance paclitaxel-resistant cell cycle arrest. This study was performed to explore the possible mechanism of Parkin related to B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa interacting protein 3 (BNIP3)/BNIP3-like (NIX)-mediated mitochondrial autophagy in NPC cells. Initially, after Parkin overexpression or silencing, cell viability and proliferation were evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase and colony formation assays...

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most prevalent cancer globally, often characterized by chemo-resistance and immunosuppression, which significantly hampers treatment efficacy. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has recently emerged as a promising adjuvant oncotherapy with substantial potential and advantages. In this study, Piezobrush® PZ2, a handheld CAP unit based on the piezoelectric direct discharge technology, was used to generate and deliver non-thermal plasma. We aimed to investigate the effects of CAPPZ2 on various types of HNC cells and elucidate the underlying mechanisms...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer of the head and neck. Despite ongoing efforts, there remains a dearth of targeted drugs capable of effectively inhibiting OSCC growth. As the earliest discovered proto-oncogene in the SRSF family, targeted inhibition of serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) plays an important role in tumor suppression. However, the expression, function, and mechanism of SRSF1 in OSCC have not been comprehensively reported. This study retrospectively analyzed clinical samples from OSCC patients and discovered a significant correlation between the SRSF1 expression level and poor prognosis...

Radiation-induced damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the recognized pathological basis of radiation-induced brain injury (RBI), a side effect of head and neck cancer treatments. There is currently a lack of therapeutic approaches for RBI due to the ambiguity of its underlying mechanisms. Therefore, it is essential to identify these mechanisms in order to prevent RBI or provide early interventions. One crucial factor contributing to BBB disruption is the radiation-induced activation of astrocytes and oversecretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)...

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is the most malignant type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and lncRNAs play an important role in its formation and progression. However, the related specific mechanisms are rarely studied. lncRNAs closely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer were examined by lncRNA sequencing for in-depth exploration of the relationship between HOXC-AS2 and hypopharyngeal cancer pathogenesis. The mRNA expression of HOXC-AS2 and related genes was measured by qRT-PCR, and the biological function of HOXC-AS2 in hypopharyngeal carcinoma was demonstrated by gain- and loss-of-function experiments...

As a key regulator of development, organ size, tissue homeostasis and cancer, the Hippo pathway is tightly regulated by various growth-related signaling events. Among them, energy stress activates the Hippo pathway to inhibit its downstream effector YAP1. Our recent work reported a YAP1-independent role of the Hippo pathway in promoting macroautophagy/autophagy and cell survival in response to energy stress, a process mediated by Hippo kinase MAP4K2. MAP4K2 interacts with and phosphorylates MAP1LC3A/LC3A at S87, which in turn drives autophagosome-lysosome fusion via the RAB3GAP-RAB18 axis...