<p>Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the major subtype (~90%) of oral cancer, which is leading cancer with high mortality worldwide. The environmental risk factors associated with OSCC are quite different in Taiwan as compared to other populations. In most non-Taiwanese populations, OSCC is often associated with tobacco chewing, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In Taiwan, in contrast, the OSCC occurs mainly in males aged 30 years or older who have habitual betel nut chewing, cigarette smoking, and alcohol drinking. To uncover molecular mechanisms and identify new therapeutic strategies of oral squamous cell carcinoma, this study recruited 112 treatment-naïve OSCC patients and generated multi-omics data, including WES, RNA-Seq, TMT-labeled proteomes, and phosphoproteomes from paired normal/tumor tissues. We have investigated our multi-omics data, covering molecular characterizations such as mutation signatures, impacts of mutations on RNA/protein/phosphoprotein, RNA-protein correlation, somatic copy number alteration, and the relationship with RNA &#x26; protein, proteome, and phosphoproteome analysis (T vs NAT), novel peptides (somatic variants, neoantigens, CT antigens, T cell receptors, etc.), as well as molecular subtyping (&#x26; pathway analysis). Notably, we have discovered a higher frequency of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/9582">APOBEC3B</a> deletion polymorphism in the Taiwanese population, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/200315">APOBEC3A</a> is a potential prognostic biomarker. Our proteogenomic data enable us to further stratify patients into four groups based on APOBE3A expression level, which is found inversely correlated with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1956">EGFR</a> expression. Therefore, the patients with high EGFR and low APOBEC3A expression may benefit from anti-EGFR therapy, while those with low EGFR and high APOBEC3A expression may benefit from immunotherapy. To clarify if there is an interaction between genetic polymorphisms and betel nut chewing habit in Taiwanese OSCC, we plan to concurrently evaluate the effect of habitual betel nut chewing on the gene mutation pattern, the dysregulated protein/phosphoproteins as novel biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets, and the molecular subtyping of patients for effective treatments. </p>

International Cancer Proteogenome Consortium (ICPC): Proteogenomics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Taiwan

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