Pozo-Agundo Esperanza, Álvarez-González Miguel, Lequerica-Fernández Paloma, Herrera I Nogués Sergi, Rodrigo Juan Pablo, Rodríguez-Santamarta Tania, Torres-Rivas Héctor E, Álvarez-Teijeiro Saúl, García-Pedrero Juana María, Álvarez-Fernández Mónica, de Vicente Juan Carlos
Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), Oviedo, Spain.
Pathobiology. 2025;92(4):189-201. doi: 10.1159/000544183. Epub 2025 Feb 26.
Upregulated microtubule-associated serine/threonine kinase like (MASTL), a cell cycle kinase required for a progression through mitosis, expression has been associated to poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical relevance of MASTL expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and a possible mechanistic link with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
Immunohistochemical analysis of MASTL, E-cadherin, vimentin, and Smad7 was performed in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 148 OSCC patients.
Nuclear MASTL expression was detected in 115 (77.7%) OSCC specimens. High MASTL expression was significantly associated with the male gender, smoking habit, T stage, early clinical stage, and absence of vascular invasion. MASTL expression was inversely correlated with Smad7, whereas no association was observed with E-cadherin and vimentin. Patients harboring tumors with low MASTL expression exhibited a poorer overall survival. Smad7 expression was significantly related to reduced disease-specific and overall survival. High levels of MASTL expression were associated with better prognosis in T3 patients, N0 cases, and patients treated by surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The present study uncovers MASTL as a good prognostic factor in OSCC and a potential link with EMT via Smad7.
微管相关丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶样蛋白（MASTL）表达上调，其是一种细胞周期激酶，在有丝分裂进程中发挥作用，该蛋白的表达与预后不良相关。本研究旨在探讨MASTL在口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）中的临床相关性以及与上皮-间质转化（EMT）可能的机制联系。
对148例OSCC患者石蜡包埋组织标本进行MASTL、E-钙黏蛋白、波形蛋白和Smad7的免疫组化分析。
在115例（77.7%）OSCC标本中检测到核MASTL表达。MASTL高表达与男性、吸烟习惯、T分期、临床早期以及无血管侵犯显著相关。MASTL表达与Smad7呈负相关，而与E-钙黏蛋白和波形蛋白无相关性。MASTL低表达肿瘤患者的总生存期较差。Smad7表达与疾病特异性生存率和总生存率降低显著相关。MASTL高表达与T3期患者、N0期患者以及接受手术联合放疗和化疗患者的较好预后相关。
本研究揭示MASTL是OSCC的一个良好预后因素，并通过Smad7与EMT存在潜在联系。
