Identification of actin cytoskeleton organization genes in oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders using oral tissue RNA-seq database

Background Oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders (leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis) are prevalent and clinically significant oral diseases. Actin, crucial for epithelial tissue integrity, undergoes cytoskeleton reorganization associated with increased invasiveness in oral cancer. Material and Methods Bioinformatic analysis of RNA-seq data from GEO public databases was performed to detect differentially expressed genes in oral cancer, leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis. Enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes was performed using DAVID and GSEA software. ROC curve and survival analysis were conducted to assess the discriminative capacity of these genes as possible biomarkers. The results were further validated using RNAseq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results EPRS1 was consistently overexpressed in all three pathologies. Key genes (ACTIN1, LIMK1, CORO1C, INF2, SH3D21, CFL1, FSCN1, MYO1B) implicated in actin cytoskeleton organization were identified, suggesting their role in oral potentially malignant disorders and cancer progression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves on 522 TCGA samples demonstrated these genes' potential as early biomarkers for oral cancer, with their inhibition associated with improved survival. Conclusions The identified genes offer insights into actin-related mechanisms and potential pathways for the diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer. Nonetheless, further research is essential to validate these results.