口腔鳞状细胞癌中FABP3的表达及临床病理意义

Expression of FABP3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical implications

目的探讨口腔鳞状细胞癌(oral squamous cell carcinoma,OSCC)中脂肪酸结合蛋白3(fatty acid binding proteins 3,FABP3)的表达及临床病理意义。方法采用生物信息学及免疫组化EnVision两步法分析OSCC中FABP3的表达水平,及其与临床病理学特征、预后和免疫细胞浸润水平的关系。结果TCGA及GEO数据库分析显示,FABP3在OSCC中的表达低于癌旁组织,差异有统计学意义(P均<0.001);免疫组化结果显示,OSCC组织及癌旁组织中FABP3的阳性率分别为23.72%(37/156)、58.33%(35/60)。FABP3表达与OSCC的T分期相关(χ^(2)=5.41,P=0.02)。免疫浸润结果显示:FABP3高表达与自然杀伤细胞(r=0.561,P<0.001)、巨噬细胞(r=0.429,P<0.001)、未成熟树突状细胞(r=0.393,P<0.001)等浸润水平呈正相关。Log-rank检验分析显示,FABP3蛋白高表达组OSCC患者的生存时间明显短于FABP3蛋白低表达组(HR=2.04,P=0.008)。Cox生存分析显示,FABP3蛋白高表达和病理学分级是预后不良的独立影响因素(P均<0.05)。结论FABP3高表达OSCC患者预后不佳,并通过影响肿瘤微环境中免疫细胞的浸润水平调控OSCC。

Purpose To explore the expression of fatty acid binding proteins 3(FABP3)and its clinical implications in oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC).Methods Bioinformatics and immunohistochemistry were employed to investigate the FABP3 expression level in OSCC and adjacent carcinoma tissues,and the relationship of FABP3 expression with immune cells infiltration levels,clinicopathological features and prognosis of OSCC patients were analyzed.Results TCGA and GEO database analysis showed that FABP3 mRNA varied in OSCC and adjacent tissues(all P<0.001),and immunohistochemistry showed that the positive rates in OSCC and adjacent tissues were 23.72%(37/156),58.33%(35/60),respectively.The FABP3 expression had a positive correlation with T stage in OSCC(P=0.02,χ^(2)=5.41).Morreover,the high expression of FABP3 mRNA was associated with infiltration levels of NK cells(r=0.561,P<0.001),macrophages(r=0.429,P<0.001)and immature dendritic cells(r=0.393,P<0.001).Log-rank analysis revealed that the patients with a high expression of FABP3 protein had a shorter survival than those with low expression(HR=2.04,P=0.008).Cox model analysis revealed that prognosis was affected by both high FABP3 expression and pathological grade independently(all P<0.05).Conclusion OSCC patients with high FABP3 expression have a poor prognosis,and the infiltration of immune cells and the amount of cells in the tumor microenvironment may have been affected by FABP3 expression level.