SP1 Gene Methylation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer in HPV-Negative Patients

Abstract

There is still much to learn about the epigenetic mechanisms controlling gene expression during carcinogenesis. When researching aberrant DNA methylation, active proliferative tumor cells from head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) can be used as a model. The aim of the study was to investigate the methylation status of CDKN1, CDKN2A, MYC, Smad3, SP1, and UBC genes in tumor tissue (control-normal tissue) in 50 patients (37 men and 13 women) with HPV-negative HNSCC. Methods: Bisulfite conversion methods and methyl-sensitive analysis of high-resolution melting curves were used to quantify the methylation of genes. In all patients and across various subgroups (tongue carcinoma, laryngeal and other types of carcinomas T2, T3, T4 status; age before and after 50 years; smoking and non-smoking), there are consistent differences in the methylation levels in the SP1 gene in tumor DNA compared to normal. Results: The methylation of the SP1 gene in tumor DNA suppresses its expression, hinders HNSCC cell proliferation regulation, and could be a molecular indicator of malignant cell growth. The study of DNA methylation of various genes involved in carcinogenesis is promising because hypermethylated promoters can serve as potential biomarkers of disease.