Evaluation of NCBP2 Gene Expression in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Compared to Healthy Individuals
-
Pegah Babaei
,
Amir Jalal Abbasi
,
Abdolreza Mohamadnia
,
Mahta Malek
,
Masoume Farhangiyan
,
Naghmeh Bahrami
Abstract
Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a widespread, aggressive disease with low survival rates due to late diagnosis and a lack of effective, noninvasive biomarkers. The nuclear cap-binding protein subunit 2 (NCBP2), involved in mRNA regulation, has been implicated in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to evaluate NCBP2 mRNA expression in plasma samples from patients with OSCC to assess its potential as a circulating diagnostic biomarker. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with histologically proven OSCC and fifteen age-matched healthy controls participated in a case-control study. Plasma was isolated from peripheral blood in an RNase-free environment. Total RNA was extracted and reverse-transcribed into cDNA. Gene-specific primers and SYBR Green chemistry were used in quantitative real-time PCR. Using GAPDH as the reference gene, relative expression was computed using the 2^–ΔΔCt technique. Independent t-tests were used to examine the data, with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: There was a 1.89-fold increase in NCBP2 mRNA expression in the OSCC group when compared to controls (p<0.001). Ten out of fifteen OSCC patients had positive NCBP2 expression, compared to five out of fifteen healthy controls who had detectable levels. Age, sex, and smoking status did not show significant correlations with gene expression. Conclusion: The observed overexpression of circulating NCBP2 mRNA in OSCC patients supports its potential as a non-invasive biomarker for early detection. Integration of NCBP2 testing into liquid biopsy protocols could enhance diagnostic accuracy and improve patient outcomes. Further studies with larger sample sizes and functional validation are recommended. Keywords: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); Nuclear cap-binding protein2 (NCBP2); liquid biopsy; RT-qPCR; Circulating mRNA; Non-invasive biomarker.
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2. PDQ Screening and Prevention Editorial Board. Cancer Prevention Overview (PDQ(R)): Health Professional
Version. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2002.
3. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, et al. Cancer incidence and mortality
worldwide: Sources, methods and major patterns in GLOBOCAN 2012. Int J Cancer 2015; 136(5): E359- E386.
4. Siegel R, Naishadham D, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2013. CA Cancer J Clin 2013; 63(1): 11-30.
5. Massano J, Regateiro FS, Januario G, Ferreira A. Oral squamous cell carcinoma: review of prognostic and
predictive factors. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2006; 102(1): 67-76.
6. Jou YJ, Lin CD, Lai CH, Tang CH, Huang SH, Tsai MH, et al. Salivary zinc finger protein 510 peptide as a novel
biomarker for detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma in early stages. Clin Chim Acta 2011; 412(15-16):
1357-65.
7. de Cassia Braga RK, Kowalski LP, Latorre MR. Perioperative complications, comorbidities, and survival in oral
or oropharyngeal cancer. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003; 129(2): 219-28.
8. Thomas C, Gustafsson JA. The different roles of ER subtypes in cancer biology and therapy. Nat Rev Cancer
2011; 11(8): 597-608.
9. Zehentner BK, Dillon DC, Jiang Y, Xu J, Bennington A, Molesh DA, et al. Application of a multigene reverse
transcription-PCR assay for detection of mammaglobin and complementary transcribed genes in breast
cancer lymph nodes. Clin Chem 2002; 48(8): 1225-31.
10. Ruan K, Fang X, Ouyang G. MicroRNAs: novel regulators in the hallmarks of human cancer. Cancer Lett
2009; 285(2): 116-26.
11. Kanellopoulou C, Monticelli S. A role for microRNAs in the development of the immune system and in the
pathogenesis of cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2008; 18(2): 79-88.
12. Kim M, Kasinski AL, Slack FJ. MicroRNA therapeutics in preclinical cancer models. Lancet Oncol 2011;
12(4): 319-21.
13. Montano M. MicroRNAs: miRRORS of health and disease. Transl Res 2011; 157(4): 157-62.
14. Sethi N, Wright A, Wood H, Rabbitts P. MicroRNAs and head and neck cancer: reviewing the first decade
of research. Eur J Cancer 2014; 50(15): 2619-35.
15. Wiemer EA. The role of microRNAs in cancer: no small matter. Eur J Cancer 2007; 43(10): 1529-44.
16. Wagener C, Muller-Wallraf R, Nisson S, Groner J, Breuer H. Localization and concentration of
carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in gastrointestinal tumors: correlation with CEA levels in plasma. J Natl
Cancer Inst 1981; 67(3): 539-47.
17. Bishop JM. Molecular themes in oncogenesis. Cell 1991; 64(2): 235-48.18. Li J, Huang H, Sun L, Yang M, Pan C, Chen W, et al. MiR-21 indicates poor prognosis in tongue squamous
cell carcinomas as an apoptosis inhibitor. Clin Cancer Res 2009; 15(12): 3998-4008.
19. Avissar M, Christensen BC, Kelsey KT, Marsit CJ. MicroRNA expression ratio is predictive of head and neck
squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2009; 15(8): 2850-5.
20. Logan J, Logan JMJ, Edwards KJ, Saunders NA. Real-time PCR: Current Technology and Applications. Poole,
UK: Horizon Scientific Press; 2009.
21. Zheng Y, Cui L, Sun W, Zhou H, Yuan X, Huo M, et al. MicroRNA-21 is a new marker of circulating tumor
cells in gastric cancer patients. Cancer Biomark 2011; 10(2): 71-7.
22. Wong TS, Liu XB, Wong BY, Ng RW, Yuen AP, Wei WI. Mature miR-184 as Potential Oncogenic microRNA of
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Tongue. Clin Cancer Res 2008; 14(9): 2588-92.
23. Lin SC, Liu CJ, Lin JA, Chiang WF, Hung PS, Chang KW. miR-24 up-regulation in oral carcinoma: positive
association from clinical and in vitro analysis. Oral Oncol 2010; 46(3): 204-8.
24. Liu CJ, Lin SC, Yang CC, Cheng HW, Chang KW. Exploiting salivary miR-31 as a clinical biomarker of oral
squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck 2012; 34(2): 219-24.
25. Kurokawa H, Tsuru S, Okada M, Nakamura T, Kajiyama M. Evaluation of tumor markers in patients with
squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1993; 22(1): 35-8.
26. (Arora, Haynes et al.NCBP2 and TFRC are novel prognostic biomarkers in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
2023)
27. Bahrami N, Hosseini F, Hajmali M, Mohamadnia A, Tehrani MM, Farhangiyan M. Mir-148 and Mir-375 Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients with Oral Infection in Comparison with Oscc Patients without Oral Infection. Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Research. 2024:20-5.
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| Issue | Vol 12, No 2 (Spring 2025) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) Nuclear cap-binding protein2 (NCBP2) liquid biopsy RT-qPCR Circulating mRNA Non-invasive biomarker | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Babaei P, Abbasi AJ, Mohamadnia A, Malek M, Farhangiyan M, Bahrami N. Evaluation of NCBP2 Gene Expression in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Compared to Healthy Individuals. J Craniomaxillofac Res. 2025;12(2):100-105.
