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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811963
Original Article

Elucidating the Role of TP53 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study of Integrated Analysis of Expression Patterns and Functional Importance

Authors

  • Sneha Harshini S.

    1   Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

  • Ameya KP

    2   RNA Biology Lab, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

  • Ashikha S. Usman PP

    2   RNA Biology Lab, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

  • Durairaj Sekar 

    2   RNA Biology Lab, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Funding None.
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Abstract

Introduction

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the major contributors of cancers associated with carcinoma, specifically among alcohol and tobacco consumers. Alterations in the TP53 gene are known to contribute to aggressive features of tumors. The present study explores miR-21, a microRNA targeting TP53 gene, focusing on the potential role of miR-21 in the regulation of OSCC pathogenesis at both computational and experimental levels.

Objective

This article aims to evaluate the expression and regulatory relationship between miR-21 and TP53 in OSCC, and to determine the potential of miR-21 as a therapeutic target.

Materials and Methods

This was a cross-sectional observational study designed to investigate the regulatory relationship between miR-21 and TP53 gene in OSCC. A total of 30 OSCC tissue samples and normal tissue samples were collected from patients undergoing surgical resection at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, following approval by the institutional ethics committee and after obtaining informed consent. Tissue specimens were immediately snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80 °C until further use.

The bioinformatics tools, TargetScan and miRDB, predicted the miRNAs that regulate TP53. The OSCC tissue samples were used to perform qRT-PCR following the extraction of RNA with TRIzol reagent for the expression profiling of miR-21 and TP53 gene.

Results

While TP53 gene expression was noticeably downregulated, the research showed that miR-21 was considerably increased in OSCC tissues. Given their inverse association, miR-21 may enhance carcinogenesis by suppressing TP53 activity.

Conclusion

The findings underscore the critical interplay between miR-21 and TP53 in OSCC pathogenesis. By regaining TP53 function, targeting miR-21 may offer a cutting-edge therapeutic approach for bettering patient outcomes. The clinical consequences of these interactions should be investigated further to provide tailored treatments for the management of OSCC.

Keywords

oral squamous cell carcinoma - microRNAs - gene expression - computational biology - biomarker

Data Availability Statement

The datasets analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.


Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization and formal analysis: D.S.; writing original draft: S.H.S.; data curation: A.K.P.; writing review and editing: D.S.


Patient's Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all the participants before conducting the interviews, and anonymity and confidentiality were ensured throughout the research process.




Publication History

Article published online:
23 September 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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