Department of Targetting Therapy & Immunology, Cancer Cencer, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodaligy Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Asian J Surg. 2024 May;47(5):2106-2121. doi: 10.1016/j.asjsur.2024.01.130. Epub 2024 Feb 5.
E2F transcription factors (E2Fs) are a group of genes that encode a family of transcription factors. They have been identified as being involved in the tumor progression of various cancer types. However, little is known about the expression level, genetic variation, molecular mechanism, and prognostic value and immune infiltration of different E2Fs in HNSCC.In this study, we utilized multiple databases to investigate the mRNA expression level, genetic alteration, and biological function of E2Fs in HNSCC patients. Then, the relationship between E2Fs expression and its association with the occurrence, progress, prognosis, and immune cell infiltration in patients with HNSCC was evaluated. We found that all eight E2Fs were higher expressed in HNSCC tissues than in normal tissues, and the expression levels of E2F1/2/3/4/5/6/8 were also associated with the stage and grade of HNSCC. The abnormal expression of E2F1/2/4/8 in HNSCC patients is related to the clinical outcome. The expression of E2Fs was statistically correlated with the immune cell infiltration in HNSCC and the infiltration of B cells and CD8+ T cells were positively associated with better OS in HNSCC patients. Furthermore, we verified the E2F2 at the tissue level in the validation experiment. Our study may provide novel insights into the choice of immunotherapy targets and potential prognostic biomarkers in HNSCC patients.
E2F 转录因子（E2Fs）是一组编码转录因子家族的基因。它们已被确定参与各种癌症类型的肿瘤进展。然而，对于 HNSCC 中不同 E2Fs 的表达水平、遗传变异、分子机制、预后价值和免疫浸润知之甚少。
在这项研究中，我们利用多个数据库研究了 E2Fs 在 HNSCC 患者中的 mRNA 表达水平、遗传改变和生物学功能。然后，评估了 E2Fs 表达与 HNSCC 患者发生、进展、预后和免疫细胞浸润的关系。
我们发现，所有 8 种 E2Fs 在 HNSCC 组织中的表达均高于正常组织，并且 E2F1/2/3/4/5/6/8 的表达水平也与 HNSCC 的分期和分级相关。E2F1/2/4/8 在 HNSCC 患者中的异常表达与临床结局相关。E2Fs 的表达与 HNSCC 中的免疫细胞浸润呈统计学相关，并且 B 细胞和 CD8+T 细胞的浸润与 HNSCC 患者更好的 OS 呈正相关。此外，我们在验证实验中在组织水平上验证了 E2F2。
我们的研究可能为 HNSCC 患者的免疫治疗靶点选择和潜在预后生物标志物提供新的见解。
