Uneven Expression of 20 Human Papillomavirus Genes Associated with Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

Ali Adel Dawood

Abstract

Background: Human papillomavirus HPV is considered to be responsible for 95% of virus-related cancers in many organs. Oropharyngeal carcinoma (OC) is distinguished by the transformation of the healthy epithelium into precancerous cells.

Aim: The current study sought to examine the uneven gene expression of 20 genes among those scanned by microarray for oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Materials and Methods: GSE56142 dataset was extracted from the GEO in NCBI. 24 specimens were evaluated. Gene Ontology (GO), KEGG, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) were used to depict the biological roles of the genes under investigation using types of software.

Results: Six genes out of 20 in invasive patients had a binding correlation with high expression (PDGFRS, COL6A3, COL1A1, COL3A1, COL2A1, and COL4A1), and only two genes with low expression (CRCT1 and KRT78). The expression levels of 20 genes were examined between patients with OC and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The correlation coefficient between highly expressed genes was statistically significant at the p < 0.05 level.

Conclusions: It is crucial to evaluate the high expression of particular genes as diagnostic tumor markers, particularly in the early stages.

Rambam Maimonides Med J 2023;14(4):e0020