Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jul;37(7):9045-57.
doi: 10.1007/s13277-015-4629-y. Epub 2016 Jan 13.

Secretome profiling of oral squamous cell carcinoma-associated fibroblasts reveals organization and disassembly of extracellular matrix and collagen metabolic process signatures

Affiliations

Secretome profiling of oral squamous cell carcinoma-associated fibroblasts reveals organization and disassembly of extracellular matrix and collagen metabolic process signatures

Elizabete Bagordakis et al. Tumour Biol. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

An important role has been attributed to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumorigenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the most common tumor of the oral cavity. Previous studies demonstrated that CAF-secreted molecules promote the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells, inducing a more aggressive phenotype. In this study, we searched for differences in the secretome of CAFs and normal oral fibroblasts (NOF) using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and biological network analysis. Comparison of the secretome profiles revealed that upregulated proteins involved mainly in extracellular matrix organization and disassembly and collagen metabolism. Among the upregulated proteins were fibronectin type III domain-containing 1 (FNDC1), serpin peptidase inhibitor type 1 (SERPINE1), and stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), the upregulation of which was validated by quantitative PCR and ELISA in an independent set of CAF cell lines. The transition of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-mediating NOFs into CAFs was accompanied by significant upregulation of FNDC1, SERPINE1, and STC2, confirming the participation of these proteins in the CAF-derived secretome. Type I collagen, the main constituent of the connective tissue, was also associated with several upregulated biological processes. The immunoexpression of type I collagen N-terminal propeptide (PINP) was significantly correlated in vivo with CAFs in the tumor front and was associated with significantly shortened survival of OSCC patients. Presence of CAFs in the tumor stroma was also an independent prognostic factor for OSCC disease-free survival. These results demonstrate the value of secretome profiling for evaluating the role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment and identify potential novel therapeutic targets such as FNDC1, SERPINE1, and STC2. Furthermore, type I collagen expression by CAFs, represented by PINP levels, may be a prognostic marker of OSCC outcome.

Keywords: Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Extracellular matrix; FNDC1; SERPINE1; STC2; Secretome; Type I collagen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Int J Cancer. 2015 Mar 1;136(5):E359-86 - PubMed
    1. Oral Oncol. 2011 Sep;47(9):840-6 - PubMed
    1. Tumour Biol. 2016 Feb;37(2):1889-99 - PubMed
    1. J Oral Pathol Med. 2012 Jul;41(6):444-51 - PubMed
    1. Cancer Sci. 2009 May;100(5):914-9 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources