Background: Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is highly diverse, even in its early stages. This cancer is classified into three subtypes (superficial, exophytic, and endophytic) based on macroscopic appearance. Of these subtypes, the endophytic tumours have the worst prognosis because of their invasiveness and higher frequency of metastasis.
Methods: To understand the molecular mechanism underlying the endophytic subtype and to identify biomarkers, we performed a comprehensive gene expression microarray analysis of clinical biopsy samples and also confirmed the clinical relevance of differential gene expression.
Results: Expression of the parvin-beta (PARVB) gene and its encoded protein was significantly upregulated in endophytic-type TSCC. PARVB is known to play a critical role in actin reorganization and focal adhesions. Knockdown of PARVB expression in vitro caused apparent decreases in cell migration and wound healing, implying that PARVB has a crucial role in cell motility. Moreover, metastasis-free survival was significantly lower in patients with higher tumour expression of PARVB.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that PARVB overexpression is a candidate biomarker for endophytic tumours and metastasis. This protein may be a clinically useful target for adjuvant TSCC therapy.