Crosstalk of NPY and TGFβ orchestrates the signaling to facilitate perineural invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Perineural invasion (PNI) frequently occurs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and predicts poor prognosis. Although PNI is increasingly recognised as a process driven by tumour-nerve crosstalk, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the role of sympathetic nerve-derived neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptor NPY1R in OSCC PNI.

Methods

NPY/NPY1R expression was assessed in human OSCC tissues by immunostaining, qPCR, and TCGA data analysis. Functional studies using Cal27 and SCC9 cells included migration, invasion, and sphere assays. The causal role of NPY1R was tested by lentiviral knockdown/overexpression, validated in tongue orthotopic xenografts, and further examined by NPY1R pharmacological inhibition in vivo.

Results

NPY

SUBMITTER: Bi J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12852772 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature