KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to explore how lncOCMRL1 promotes OSCC metastasis and identify its mechanism.
- The results showed that lncOCMRL1 promotes metastasis and growth in OSCC by inducing EMT.
Nan Lu and their team aimed to investigate the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) metastasis. Metastasis is a major factor limiting cancer treatment efficacy, and the functions of many lncRNAs remain unclear. Exploring the mechanisms of metastasis-related lncRNAs could provide novel therapeutic strategies for OSCC.
The study analyzed lncRNA expression profiles in tumor tissues from OSCC patients with and without cervical lymph node metastasis, as well as in OSCC cell lines. They focused on lncOCMRL1, which was found to be highly expressed in metastatic tumors and cell lines. They assessed the effects of lncOCMRL1 knockdown on OSCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration using qRT-PCR, Transwell, colony formation, and proliferation assays.
Additionally, they explored the molecular mechanism through RNA pull-down, silver staining, mass spectrometry, RIP, and WB techniques. A nano delivery system was developed to deliver siRNA targeting lncOCMRL1 for therapeutic purposes.
The results demonstrated that lncOCMRL1 was significantly overexpressed in metastatic OSCC tissues and cells. Functional studies showed that lncOCMRL1 promotes OSCC cell growth and metastasis both in vivo and in vitro.
The lncOCMRL1 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting RRM2 ubiquitination, facilitating OSCC cell invasion, migration, and proliferation. Reduction-responsive nanoparticles delivering siRNAs targeting lncOCMRL1 were effective in silencing its expression, significantly inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.
The study concluded that lncOCMRL1 is a key regulator of metastasis in OSCC and a promising therapeutic target to prevent lymph node metastasis.
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong, the Guangzhou Science and Technology Project, the Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Gene Regulation and Target Therapy of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Sun-Yat-Sen University, and the Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Molecular Mechanism and Translational Medicine of Guangzhou Bureau of Science and Information Technology ([2013]163).
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39343925/
Lu N, Jiang Q, Xu T, et al. (2024). “LncOCMRL1 promotes oral squamous cell carcinoma growth and metastasis via the RRM2/EMT pathway.” J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2024;43(1):267. Published 2024 Sep 30. doi:10.1186/s13046-024-03190-w
