OncoTargets and Therapy (Oct 2020)

PTHLH Predicts the Prognosis of Patients with Oral Leukoplakia

  • Lv Z,
  • Cong R,
  • Li J,
  • Cao K,
  • Bao Q,
  • Li L,
  • Yang F,
  • Yuan J

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 10013 – 10023

Abstract

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Zhongjing Lv,1,2,* Rong Cong,1,* Jiafeng Li,1,2 Kun Cao,1,2 Qiang Bao,1,2 Linlin Li,1,3 Feng Yang,1,2 Jian Yuan1,2 1School of Stomatology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Mainland China; 2Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Mainland China; 3Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Mainland China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jian Yuan; Feng YangDepartment of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province 221000, Mainland ChinaEmail [email protected] ; [email protected]: Oral leukoplakia is the most common oral mucosal disease. A proportion of such cases can progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The mechanism of oral leukoplakia malignant transformation is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the expression of parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) in oral leukoplakia and the effect on prognosis, so as to find reliable molecular markers that can predict oral leukoplakia malignant transformation.Methods: We measured PTHrP which is coded by PTHLH in oral leukoplakia tissues of 79 cases (30 cases progressed to OSCC and 49 did not) and analyzed the clinical outcomes. Then, PTHLH expression was reduced using lentivirus-mediated small hairpin RNA (shRNA) interference to determine the biological role of PTHLH in DOK cells.Results: PTHrP was found to be highly expressed in 38% of tissues of oral leukoplakia. There was weak or no PTHrP expression in 25 patients, moderate expression in 24 patients, and strong in 30 patients with oral leukoplakia. The expression level was associated with the degree of atypical hyperplasia and poor prognosis. The cell proliferation, invasion, migration, cell cloning, and cell cycle were affected after reducing PTHLH expression.Conclusion: Our data suggest that either PTHLH or PTHrP plays a key role in the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia and might be a reliable biomarker for predicting the carcinogenesis of oral leukoplakia.Keywords: PTHLH, oral leukoplakia, malignant transformation

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