2. Academic Validation
  3. TOM40 as a prognostic oncogene for oral squamous cell carcinoma prognosis

TOM40 as a prognostic oncogene for oral squamous cell carcinoma prognosis

  • BMC Cancer. 2025 Jan 15;25(1):92. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-13417-w.
Lifei Deng # 1,  Hong Ran # 2 3,  Dunhui Yang # 3 4,  Zhen Wang 3,  Peng Zhao 1,  Hengjie Huang 5,  Yongjin Wu 6,  Peng Zhang 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Jiangxi Cancer Hospital & Institute, Jiangxi Clinical Research Center for Cancer, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, 330029, China.
  • 2 Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Surgical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610044, China.
  • 3 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Longgang Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, Shenzhen Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, No. 3004 Longgang Avenue, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
  • 4 Department of Graduate and Scientific Research, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China.
  • 5 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Yulin Normal University, No. 1303 Jiaoyu East Road, Yulin, 537000, Guangxi, China. 20040179@ylu.edu.cn.
  • 6 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Longgang Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, Shenzhen Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, No. 3004 Longgang Avenue, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. entwyj@163.com.
  • 7 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Longgang Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, Shenzhen Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, No. 3004 Longgang Avenue, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. zhangpeng2600@163.com.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 39815211 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-13417-w
Abstract

Background: To investigate the role of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane 40 (TOM40) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with the aim of identifying new biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets.

Methods: TOM40 expression level in OSCC was evaluated using datasets downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), as well as clinical data. The correlation between TOM40 expression level and the clinicopathological parameters and survival were analyzed in TCGA. The signaling pathways associated with TOM40 were identified through gene set enrichment analysis. A network of genes co-expressed with TOM40 was constructed and functionally annotated by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. The immune infiltration pattern in OSCC was analyzed in the TCGA-OSCC cohort using the CIBERSORT algorithm. Clinically significant factors of OSCC were screened through the expression levels of TOM40 and a clinically relevant nomogram was constructed. The TCGA-OSCC cohort was divided into the TOM40high and TOM40low groups and the correlation between TOM40 expression level and the sensitivity to frequently used chemotherapeutic drugs was evaluated. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were applied to determine the cell growth.

Results: TOM40 was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and correlated negatively with the overall survival (P < 0.05). Patients with high TOM40 expression level showed worse prognosis. Furthermore, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of the differentially expressed genes related to TOM40 showed that these genes are mainly associated with immunity and tumorigenesis. Immunological infiltration analysis has found that the expression levels of TOM40 are correlated with the proportions of several immune cells. Moreover, we found that TOM40 knockdown inhibited cell growth in OSCC cell lines.

Conclusions: Our results uncovered that TOM40 is a reliable prognostic marker and therapeutic target in OSCC.

Keywords

Cell growth; OSCC; Prognostic marker; TOM40; Therapeutic target.

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