Department Of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Department Of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Mar 26;100(12):e25028. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025028.
Sex-determining region-Y-related high-mobility-group box 4 (SOX4) is associated with the metastasis and prognosis of many cancer types. However, studies on the role of SOX4 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) are few, and hence the mechanism is unclear. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows neoplastic cells to gain the plasticity and motility required for tumor progression and metastasis. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between SOX4 and EMT, and their relationship with clinicopathological factors and related prognosis.
Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the positive expression of SOX4 protein, EMT-related transcription factor protein, and related marker protein in 127 LSCC tissue samples. At the same time, data on various parameters of clinical pathology and postoperative survival were collected.
The positive expression rate of SOX4 and Slug in LSCC was related to pathological differentiation, lymphatic invasion, and pathological tumor node metastasis (TNM) of a tumor. The expression rates of ZEB1, Twist, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and β-catenin in LSCC correlated with lymphatic invasion and pathological tumor node metastasis. The expression of SOX4, combined expression of SOX4 and ZEB1, and lymphatic invasion were independent prognostic factors for the total survival time of patients with LSCC.
In summary, SOX4 was vital in the LSCC EMT process, which might be mediated by transcription factor ZEB1. SOX4 and ZEB1 might serve as potential biomarkers of metastasis and prognosis, as well as promising therapeutic targets of LSCC.
性别决定区 Y 相关高迁移率族盒 4（SOX4）与多种癌症类型的转移和预后有关。然而，关于 SOX4 在喉鳞状细胞癌（LSCC）中的作用的研究很少，因此机制尚不清楚。上皮-间充质转化（EMT）使肿瘤细胞获得肿瘤进展和转移所需的可塑性和迁移性。本研究旨在分析 SOX4 与 EMT 之间的关系，及其与临床病理因素和相关预后的关系。
采用免疫组织化学染色法检测 127 例 LSCC 组织标本中 SOX4 蛋白、EMT 相关转录因子蛋白及其相关标志物蛋白的阳性表达情况，同时收集各种临床病理参数和术后生存数据。
LSCC 中 SOX4 和 Slug 的阳性表达率与病理分化、淋巴浸润和肿瘤病理淋巴结转移（TNM）有关。LSCC 中 ZEB1、Twist、E-cadherin、N-cadherin 和β-catenin 的表达率与淋巴浸润和病理肿瘤淋巴结转移有关。SOX4 的表达、SOX4 与 ZEB1 的联合表达以及淋巴浸润是 LSCC 患者总生存时间的独立预后因素。
综上所述，SOX4 在 LSCC 的 EMT 过程中至关重要，可能是通过转录因子 ZEB1 介导的。SOX4 和 ZEB1 可能成为转移和预后的潜在生物标志物，也是 LSCC 有前途的治疗靶点。
