HOXB5 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Human HOX genes encode transcription factors that act as master regulators of embryonic development. They are important in several processes such as cellular morphogenesis and differentiation. The HOXB5 gene in particular has been reported in some types of neoplasm, but not in oral cancer.ObjectiveThe present study investigated the expression of HOXB5 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and in non-tumoral adjacent tissues, focusing on verifying its possible role as a broad tumor-associated gene and its association with histopathological and clinical (TNM) characteristics.Material and MethodsRT-PCR was performed to amplify HOXB5 mRNA in 15 OSCCs and adjacent non-tumoral epithelium. A possible association with TNM and histopathologic data was verified by the chi-square and post-hoc t-test.ResultsHOXB5 was amplified in 60% non-tumoral epithelium and in 93.3% carcinomas. No statistically significant differences were found regarding the HOXB5 mRNA expression and TNM or histological grade.ConclusionHOXB5 is expressed in OSCCs and its role in cancer progression should be further investigated.

Homeobox B5 suppression attenuates proliferation and elevates apoptosis in hepatoma cell lines through ERK/MDM2 signalling

“…As a member of the HOX gene family, the HOXB cluster plays important roles in many tumours . HOXB5, a protein‐coding gene in the HOXB cluster, is upregulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma . HOXB5 also plays significant roles in the progression of various cancers.…”

HOXC6 Is Deregulated in Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Modulates Bcl-2 Expression

“…HOX genes have been described as deregulated in several cancers including leukemia, colon, skin, prostate, breast, ovary, and, more recently, in oral cavity cancer (9 -17). In addition, some studies observed the aberrant expression of various HOX genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESSC) (10,18,19). However, the specific mechanisms by which HOX genes contribute to the development of cancer have not been completely described.…”

HOX Genes as Potential Markers of Circulating Tumour Cells

“…QPCR and immunohistochemistry), and which has been demonstrated in 2 different studies. The findings of this review for head and neck [24,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36], oesophageal [37,38], gastric [39,40], colorectal [41], pancreatic [42], hepatic [41], lung [43][44][45][46], breast [47], bladder [48,49], renal [23], prostate [50,51], and ovarian cancer [52][53][54] are summarized in Fig 1 and (Fig 1). These distinct, tumour-specific expression profiles make HOX genes potential markers of CTCs.…”