Juan P Rodrigo, Gema Moreno-Bueno, Paloma Lequerica-Fernández, Tania Rodríguez-Santamarta, Eva Díaz, Llara Prieto-Fernández, Saúl Álvarez-Teijeiro, Juana M García-Pedrero, Juan Carlos de Vicente
{"title":"Tumor-Intrinsic Perinuclear LOXL2: Prognostic Relevance and Relationship with YAP1 Activation Status in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.","authors":"Juan P Rodrigo, Gema Moreno-Bueno, Paloma Lequerica-Fernández, Tania Rodríguez-Santamarta, Eva Díaz, Llara Prieto-Fernández, Saúl Álvarez-Teijeiro, Juana M García-Pedrero, Juan Carlos de Vicente","doi":"10.1159/000539928","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) expression and function is frequently altered in different cancers but scarcely explored in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This prompted us to investigate the clinical relevance of LOXL2 expression pattern in OSCC and also a possible crosstalk with Hippo/YAP1 pathway signaling.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Immunohistochemical analysis of LOXL2 protein expression was performed in 158 OSCC patient samples, together with Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) activation status. Correlations with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Tumor cell-intrinsic LOXL2 expression showed two distinct expression patterns: diffuse cytoplasmic staining (64.6%) and heterogeneous perinuclear staining (35.4%). Remarkably, perinuclear LOXL2 staining was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage and perineural invasion. Moreover, patients harboring tumors with perinuclear LOXL2 expression exhibited significantly poorer disease-specific survival (DSS) rates, and perinuclear LOXL2 positivity gradually increased in relation to YAP1 activation. Patients harboring tumors with concomitant perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 exhibited the worst DSS. Multivariate Cox analysis further revealed combined perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 as a significant independent predictor of poor DSS.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Tumor-intrinsic perinuclear LOXL2 emerges as a clinically and biologically relevant feature associated with advanced disease, tumor aggressiveness, and poor prognosis in OSCC. Moreover, this study unprecedentedly uncovers a functional relationship between perinuclear LOXL2 and YAP1 activation with major prognostic implications. Notably, combined perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 was revealed as independent predictor of poor prognosis. These findings encourage targeting oncogenic LOXL2 functions for personalized treatment regimens.</p>","PeriodicalId":19805,"journal":{"name":"Pathobiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pathobiology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000539928","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) expression and function is frequently altered in different cancers but scarcely explored in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This prompted us to investigate the clinical relevance of LOXL2 expression pattern in OSCC and also a possible crosstalk with Hippo/YAP1 pathway signaling.
Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of LOXL2 protein expression was performed in 158 OSCC patient samples, together with Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) activation status. Correlations with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival were assessed.
Results: Tumor cell-intrinsic LOXL2 expression showed two distinct expression patterns: diffuse cytoplasmic staining (64.6%) and heterogeneous perinuclear staining (35.4%). Remarkably, perinuclear LOXL2 staining was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage and perineural invasion. Moreover, patients harboring tumors with perinuclear LOXL2 expression exhibited significantly poorer disease-specific survival (DSS) rates, and perinuclear LOXL2 positivity gradually increased in relation to YAP1 activation. Patients harboring tumors with concomitant perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 exhibited the worst DSS. Multivariate Cox analysis further revealed combined perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 as a significant independent predictor of poor DSS.
Conclusion: Tumor-intrinsic perinuclear LOXL2 emerges as a clinically and biologically relevant feature associated with advanced disease, tumor aggressiveness, and poor prognosis in OSCC. Moreover, this study unprecedentedly uncovers a functional relationship between perinuclear LOXL2 and YAP1 activation with major prognostic implications. Notably, combined perinuclear LOXL2 and fully active YAP1 was revealed as independent predictor of poor prognosis. These findings encourage targeting oncogenic LOXL2 functions for personalized treatment regimens.
期刊介绍:
''Pathobiology'' offers a valuable platform for the publication of high-quality original research into the mechanisms underlying human disease. Aiming to serve as a bridge between basic biomedical research and clinical medicine, the journal welcomes articles from scientific areas such as pathology, oncology, anatomy, virology, internal medicine, surgery, cell and molecular biology, and immunology. Published bimonthly, ''Pathobiology'' features original research papers and reviews on translational research. The journal offers the possibility to publish proceedings of meetings dedicated to one particular topic.