Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. Vincent De Paul Hospital, 1 Wójta Radtkego St., 81-348 Gdynia, Poland.
Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 19 Jordana St., 41-808 Zabrze, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jul 4;25(13):7356. doi: 10.3390/ijms25137356.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are one of the most frequently detected cancers in the world; not all mechanisms related to the expression of keratin in this type of cancer are known. The aim of this study was to evaluate type II cytokeratins (KRT): KRT6A, KRT6B, and KRT6C protein concentrations in 54 tumor and margin samples of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Moreover, we examined a possible association between protein concentration and the clinical and demographic variables. Protein concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Significantly higher KRT6A protein concentration was found in HNSCC samples compared to surgical margins. An inverse relationship was observed for KRT6B and KRT6C proteins. We showed an association between the KRT6C protein level and clinical parameters T and N in tumor and margin samples. When analyzing the effect of smoking and drinking on KRT6A, KRT6B, and KRT6C levels, we demonstrated a statistically significant difference between regular or occasional tobacco and alcohol habits and patients who do not have any tobacco and alcohol habits in tumor and margin samples. Moreover, we found an association between KRT6B and KRT6C concentration and proliferative index Ki-67 and HPV status in tumor samples. Our results showed that concentrations of KRT6s were different in the tumor and the margin samples and varied in relation to clinical and demographic parameters. We add information to the current knowledge about the role of KRT6s isoforms in HNSCC. We speculate that variations in the studied isoforms of the KRT6 protein could be due to the presence and development of the tumor and its microenvironment. It is important to note that the analyses were performed in tumor and surgical margins and can provide more accurate information on the function in normal and cancer cells and regulation in response to various factors.
头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）是世界上最常见的癌症之一；并非所有与这种癌症中角蛋白表达相关的机制都已被了解。本研究旨在评估 II 型细胞角蛋白（KRT）：在 54 例头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）肿瘤和边缘样本中，KRT6A、KRT6B 和 KRT6C 蛋白的浓度。此外，我们还检查了蛋白浓度与临床和人口统计学变量之间的可能关联。使用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）测量蛋白浓度。与手术边缘相比，HNSCC 样本中 KRT6A 蛋白浓度显著升高。KRT6B 和 KRT6C 蛋白呈负相关。我们在肿瘤和边缘样本中观察到 KRT6C 蛋白水平与临床参数 T 和 N 之间的关联。在分析吸烟和饮酒对 KRT6A、KRT6B 和 KRT6C 水平的影响时，我们在肿瘤和边缘样本中显示出经常或偶尔吸烟和饮酒习惯与不吸烟和不饮酒习惯的患者之间存在统计学显著差异。此外，我们还发现肿瘤样本中 KRT6B 和 KRT6C 浓度与增殖指数 Ki-67 和 HPV 状态之间存在关联。我们的结果表明，KRT6s 在肿瘤和边缘样本中的浓度不同，并且与临床和人口统计学参数有关。我们为 KRT6s 同工型在 HNSCC 中的作用提供了当前知识之外的信息。我们推测，所研究的 KRT6 蛋白同工型的变化可能是由于肿瘤及其微环境的存在和发展。值得注意的是，这些分析是在肿瘤和手术边缘进行的，可以提供关于正常和癌细胞功能以及对各种因素反应调节的更准确信息。
