Differential effect of cancer-associated fibroblasts on HNSCC progression: Cancer Promotion or inhibition

ABSTRACT: To study of differential effect on cancer-associated fibroblasts of HNSCC, we have employed microarray expression profiling. The critical effect of the tumor microenvironment to caner progression is well recognized. Recent research suggests that the cancer-promoting properties of the tumor stroma may attributed to fibroblasts. However, little is known about fibroblasts that inhibit cancer progression. From the immunohistochemical analysis of cancer tissues from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, we divided cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) into two groups depending on whether the boundary between epithelial cancer cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) is clear and smooth or not. Therefore, we tried to evaluate whether there is a difference between these two CAFs in HNSCC progression. CAF was primary cultured, followed by co-culture with HNSCC cell to observe the effect on Matrigel invasion. The mRNA expression patterns between these two CAF groups were compared by DNA microarray analysis. FaDu cell and primary CAF from each group was co-transplanted into the oral mucosa of mice, and the tumorigenesis was compared. The CAF group (CAF-Promote, CAF-P) from cancer tissues which have unclear boundary between ECM and epithelial cancer cells showed a tendency to stimulate in vitro Matrigel invasion of HNSCC cell. On the contrary, the CAF group (CAF-Defense, CAF-D) from cancer tissues, which have clear boundary with epithelial cancer cell caused no remarkable increase of Matrigel invasion. In addition, CAF-D reduced the tumorigenicity of FaDu compared to CAF-P in the in vivo mice model. In DNA microarray analysis, COL3A1, COL6A6, COL25A1, and COL26A1 were particularly highly expressed in CAF-D group. In this study, these collagen proteins derived from cancer stroma were found to have a function of inhibiting the progression of HNSCC. It is expected to provide important information for predicting the prognosis of HNSCC and development of drug target in the future.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE160919 | GEO | 2021/02/18

REPOSITORIES: GEO