Abstract
Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) arises from the squamous epithelium of the larynx and is associated with a high incidence of cervical lymph node metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the epigenetic regulation of cellular biological processes, including cancer metastasis. However, the molecular mechanisms of specific miRNAs responsible for LSCC metastasis and their clinical significance have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, LSCC cohort datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were downloaded and examined by comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, which revealed that upregulation of mRNA SERPINE1 and downregulation of miR-181c-5p were associated with unfavorable overall survival. Our analysis showed that SERPINE1 expression negatively correlated with the expression level of miR-181c-5p in our LSCC patient samples. Silencing of miR-181c-5p expression promoted cell migration and invasion in cell lines, whereas the overexpression of miR-181c-5p suppressed cell migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the downregulation of SERPINE1. Further analysis showed that the enhancement effect on EMT and metastasis induced by silencing miR-181c-5p could be rescued through knockdown of SERPINE1 expression in vitro. Collectively, our findings indicated that miR-181c-5p acted as an EMT suppressor miRNA by downregulation of SERPINE1 in LSCC and offers novel strategies for the prevention of metastasis in LSCC.
Highlights
Laryngeal cancer (LC) is the most common malignant neoplasm in head and neck
Using the GEO2R algorithm, we identified a total of 1051 and 827 DE differentially expressed mRNAs (mRNAs) from the GSE51985 and GSE59102 datasets, respectively (Table S2)
A volcano plot was constructed by plotting the P-values of DE mRNAs versus the absolute log fold change (Figures 2A, B)
Summary
The predominant histopathological characteristic of LC is squamous cell cancer; this can affect different regions of the larynx and is associated with different symptoms and various treatment approaches [1, 2]. The incidence of laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) has increased over recent years and represents a serious threat for human health. Over 110,000 new cases are diagnosed and of these, approximately 40 percent progress to an advanced stage [3]. Due to loco-regional relapse and/or distant metastasis, the overall survival (OS) of advanced LSCC has improved only slightly over the past decades and appropriate treatment remains a major challenge. The identification of molecular biomarkers for LSCC metastasis could help to improve the prognosis of patients and may facilitate the prediction of patient survival
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
