title: High expression of the histone demethylase LSD1 associates with cancer cell proliferation and unfavorable prognosis in tongue cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The histone lysine-specific demethylase (LSD1) is a key chromatin modifier mediating the demethylation of both H3K4me1/me2 and H3K9 me1/me2. Recently, its deregulation has been implicated in the initiation and progression of various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of LSD1 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and determine its prognostic significance in predicting patients' prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  LSD1 expression was examined by RT-PCR and western blotting in three tongue cancer cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in 63 primary tongue SCC specimens with detailed clinical, pathological, and follow-up data. Its associations with various clinicopathological parameters, Ki-67 expression, and patients' survival were further assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Upregulated LSD1 expression was observed in tongue cancer cells and a major fraction of tongue SCC samples. Overexpression of LSD1 significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.0357), pathological grade (P = 0.0323), Ki-67 abundance (P = 0.0148), and reduced overall and disease-free survival (Kaplan-Meier analysis, P = 0.0351, 0.0479, respectively). The Cox regression survival analyses identified LSD1 as an important independent predictor for patients' overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that aberrant LSD1 overexpression associates with key clinicopathological features and unfavorable prognosis in patients with tongue cancer. LSD1 might play critical roles during tongue tumorigenesis and represent a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for this malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Head Neck Cancer Center, Institute of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, China; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Chunping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Zhongwu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D056466:Histone Demethylases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015996:Survival Rate; D014059:Tongue / Q000201:enzymology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D056466:Histone Demethylases; C495195:KDM1A protein, human
keywords: KDM1A; LSD1; histone demethylation; prognostic marker; tongue squamous cell carcinoma