A surprising cross-species conservation in the genomic landscape of mouse and human oral cancer identifies a transcriptional signature predicting metastatic disease.

Purpose: Improved understanding of the molecular basis underlying oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) aggressive growth has significant clinical implications. Herein, cross-species genomic comparison of carcinogen-induced murine and human OSCCs with indolent or metastatic growth yielded results with surprising translational relevance.

Experimental Design: Murine OSCC cell lines were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS) to define their mutational landscape, to define novel candidate cancer genes, and to assess for parallels with known drivers in human OSCC.

Comparative analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in a syngeneic mouse model of oral cancer.

Objective: To perform a comparative analysis of infiltrating immune cells in a newly developed C57BL/6 background syngeneic transplantable mouse oral cancer (MOC) model.

Study Design/setting: Scientific study in an academic medical center.

Methods: Use of carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis, tissue culture, cell line transplantation, and flow cytometric analysis techniques.

The clinical implications of antitumor immunity in head and neck cancer.

Recent developments have renewed interest in understanding the interaction between transformed cells and the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we provide a comprehensive review addressing the basics of tumor immunology in relation to head and neck cancer and the cellular components potentially involved in antitumor immune responses. In addition, we describe the mechanisms by which head and neck cancer cells escape immune-mediated killing and progress to form clinically significant disease.

ERK1/2 regulation of CD44 modulates oral cancer aggressiveness.

Carcinogen-induced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) incurs significant morbidity and mortality and constitutes a global health challenge. To gain further insight into this disease, we generated cell line models from 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced murine primary OSCC capable of tumor formation upon transplantation into immunocompetent wild-type mice. Whereas several cell lines grew rapidly and were capable of metastasis, some grew slowly and did not metastasize.

CXCR3 enhances a T-cell-dependent epidermal proliferative response and promotes skin tumorigenesis.

The chemokine receptor CXCR3 has been proposed to play a critical role in host antitumor responses. In this study, we defined CXCR3-expressing immune cell infiltration in human skin squamous cell carcinomas and then used CXCR3-deficient mice to assess the contribution of CXCR3 to skin tumorigenesis. Our studies employed two established protocols for chemical skin carcinogenesis [methylcholanthrene (MCA) or 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) models].

CD44 deficiency leads to enhanced neutrophil migration and lung injury in Escherichia coli pneumonia in mice.

CD44 is a major cell-surface receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA), a glycosaminoglycan component of extracellular matrix. HA-CD44 interactions have been implicated in leukocyte extravasation into an inflammatory site. This study examined the role of CD44 in acute inflammatory responses during pneumonias induced by Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae using CD44-deficient mice.