Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 16;25(16):8929. doi: 10.3390/ijms25168929.
An important determinant for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) onset and outcome is the composition of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Thus, the study of the interactions occurring among cancer cells, immune cells, and cancer-associated fibroblasts within the TME could facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms underlying OSCC development and progression, as well as of its sensitivity or resistance to the therapy. In this context, it must be highlighted that the characterization of TME proteins is enabled by proteomic methodologies, particularly mass spectrometry (MS). Aiming to identify TME protein markers employable for diagnosing and prognosticating OSCC, we have retrieved a total of 119 articles spanning 2001 to 2023, of which 17 have passed the selection process, satisfying all its criteria. We have found a total of 570 proteins detected by MS-based proteomics in the TME of OSCC; among them, 542 are identified by a single study, while 28 are cited by two or more studies. These 28 proteins participate in extracellular matrix remodeling and/or energy metabolism. Here, we propose them as markers that could be used to characterize the TME of OSCC for diagnostic/prognostic purposes. Noteworthy, most of the 28 individuated proteins share one feature: being modulated by the hypoxia that is present in the proliferating OSCC mass.
口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）发生和结局的一个重要决定因素是肿瘤微环境（TME）的组成。因此，研究 TME 中癌细胞、免疫细胞和癌相关成纤维细胞之间发生的相互作用，可以促进对 OSCC 发展和进展以及对治疗的敏感性或耐药性的机制的理解。在这方面，必须强调的是，蛋白质组学方法，特别是质谱（MS），使 TME 蛋白的特征成为可能。为了鉴定可用于诊断和预测 OSCC 的 TME 蛋白标志物，我们共检索到 2001 年至 2023 年的 119 篇文章，其中 17 篇通过了选择过程，满足了所有标准。我们总共在 OSCC 的 TME 中发现了 570 种通过 MS 基于蛋白质组学检测到的蛋白质；其中 542 种是由单一研究确定的，而 28 种是由两项或多项研究引用的。这 28 种蛋白质参与细胞外基质重塑和/或能量代谢。在这里，我们提出它们作为可以用于表征 OSCC 的 TME 用于诊断/预后目的的标志物。值得注意的是，所鉴定的 28 种蛋白质中有一个共同特征：它们被增殖的 OSCC 组织中存在的缺氧所调节。
