Discovery of PAK2 as a Key Regulator of Cancer Stem Cell in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Multi-Omic Techniques.

ABSTRACT: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is an aggressive malignancy whose progression is closely associated with dysregulation of programed cell death (PCD) pathways and cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics. To systematically screen for key pathogenic genes, this study performed single-cell analysis on the GSE150321 dataset. The identified cell-specific genes were intersected with PCD- and CSC-related genes, yielding 24 candidate genes for preliminary screening. Further refinement using multiple machine learning (ML) algorithms identified PAK2 as the most central gene among these candidates. Analysis of TCGA and external datasets confirmed that PAK2 is significantly overexpressed in HNSC tissues, demonstrating good diagnostic value and strong association with poor patient prognosis.

SUBMITTER: Wang P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12657082 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature