title: The pluripotency factor LIN28B is involved in oral carcinogenesis and associates with tumor aggressiveness and unfavorable prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  LIN28B is a conserved RNA-binding protein critically involved in development, cellular metabolism and tumorigenesis. It is frequently overexpressed in human cancers and correlates with tumor aggressiveness as well as unfavorable prognosis. However, the expression pattern and oncogenic roles of LIN28B during oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development and progression has not been well established yet. Here, we sought to determine the expression of LIN28B and its clinical significance using chemical-induced OSCC animal model, cell lines and primary specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  The OSCC animal model was induced using 7,12-dimethyl-1,2-bezan-tracene (DMBA) painting in the hamster buccal pouch. Buccal lesions from animals were obtained from different time points and subjected to routine histological analyses and immunohistochemical staining of LIN28B. The mRNA, protein abundance and subcellular localization of LIN28B was determined in a panel of OSCC cell lines by real-time RT-PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence. The expression levels of LIN28B in human primary OSCC samples were further evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, the relationship between LIN28B and several clinicopathological parameters as well as patients' prognosis were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results revealed that negative or low LIN28B expression was commonly observed in normal epithelial, whereas more LIN28B abundance was identified in epithelial dysplasia and invasive SCC in the DMBA-induced OSCC animal model. Overexpression of LIN28B was identified in a major fraction of OSCC samples(39/58) and significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.049) and advanced clinical stages (P = 0.0286). Patients with increased LIN28B had markedly reduced overall survival as compared to those with low LIN28B. Multivariate survival analyses further indicated that LIN28B abundance served as an independent prognostic factor for patients' overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings reveal that LIN28B is critically involved in OSCC initiation and progression and aberrantly overexpressed in human OSCC. It might represent a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for oral cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Dongmiao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Yuming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Zhongwu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Chunping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Jinhai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Jianrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Hongbing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
keywords: LIN28B; Oral cancer; Oral carcinogenesis; Tumor biomarker