Transcriptomic profiling revealed FZD10 as a novel biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurrence

Warut Tulalamba; Chawalit Ngernsombat; Noppadol Larbcharoensub; Tavan Janvilisri

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.1084713

Transcriptomic profiling revealed FZD10 as a novel biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurrence

Front Oncol. 2023 Jan 20:12:1084713. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1084713. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Warut Tulalamba^{1

2}, Chawalit Ngernsombat³, Noppadol Larbcharoensub⁴, Tavan Janvilisri⁵

Affiliations

¹ Siriraj Center of Research Excellence in Advanced Gene and Cell Therapy (Si-CORE-AGCT) and Thalassemia Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
² Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
³ Division of Biochemistry, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Abstract

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancers that develops in the nasopharynx, the very upper part of the throat behind the nose. NPC is typically diagnosed in later stages of the disease and has a high rate of recurrence due to the location of the tumor growth site. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of NPC tissues from patients with and without recurrence to identify potential molecular biomarkers of NPC recurrence.

Methods: Microarrays were used to analyze the expression of genes in 15 NPC tissues taken at the time of diagnosis and at the site of recurrence following therapeutic treatment. Pathway enrichment analysis was used to examine the biological interactions between the major differentially expressed genes. The target identified was then validated using immunohistochemistry on 86 NPC tissue samples.

Results: Our data showed that the Wnt signaling pathway was enhanced in NPC tissues with recurrence. FZD10, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway, was significantly expressed in NPC tissues, and was significantly associated with NPC recurrence.

Conclusion: Our study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of NPC and identifies FZD10 as a potential molecular biomarker for NPC recurrence. FZD10 may be a promising candidate for NPC recurrence and a potential therapeutic target.

Keywords: Wnt signaling; biomarkers; microarray; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; recurrence; transcriptome.

Grants and funding

This research project is supported by Mahidol University (Fundamental Fund: Fiscal Year 2023 by National Science Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF)).