Description
Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) varies in characteristics even in early stages and is mainly classified into three subtypes, which are superficial, exophytic and endophytic types, based on a macroscopic appearance of tumor growth.Of these subtypes, endophytic tumor has a poorer prognosis because of its invasive feature and higher frequency to have metastasis. To understand a molecular mechanism of endophytic subtype and identify biomarkers, we performed comprehensive microarray analysis for mRNAs from clinical biopsy sampleswhich were classified into subtypes and found overexpression of parvin-beta (PARVB) gene significantly related to endophytic type. PARVB is known to play a critical role in actin reorganization and focal adhesions. Knocking down PARVB expression in vitrocaused apparent decreases in cell migration and wound healing, implying that PARVB has a crucial role in cellular motility. Moreover, metastasis-free survival was significantly lowered in patients with higher PARVB expression. Therefore overexpression of PARVB is a candidate biomarker for endophytic tumor and metastasis and may be clinically applicable for decision making of an adjuvant therapy in TSCC.