Newly identified invasion drivers define the tumor front in oral squamous cell carcinoma - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- #Invasion Drivers
- #Partial EMT
- Cells at the invasive front of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) occupy a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (p-EMT) state that drives invasion and therapy resistance.
- An isogenic OSCC model was developed to capture stable epithelial and p-EMT states, enabling a genome-wide CRISPR screen that identified 17 novel modulators of invasion.
- The invasion modulators converge on pathways related to cytoskeletal remodeling, adhesion, and epigenetic regulation, with EDIL3 highlighted as a central driver of EMT, invasion, and chemoresistance.
- The invasion signature from the screen specifically localized to the tumor invasive front in human OSCC samples, providing clinical validation.
- The study reveals a targetable network of transient invasion drivers that define the OSCC tumor front, offering potential therapeutic targets.