Identification of the MMP family as therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in the microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Background Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. The MMP family plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the mechanistic value of the MMP family as a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in HNSC has not been fully elucidated. Methods Oncomine, UALCAN, GEPIA, cBioportal, GeneMANIA, STRING, DAVID6.8, TRRUST, TIMER and Linkedomics were used for analysis. Results The mRNA expression levels of MMP1, MMP3, ILF3, MMP7, MMP9, MMP10, MMP11, MMP12, MMP13 and MMP16 were higher in HNSC than those in normal tissues, while the mRNA expression level of MMP15 was reduced. The relative expression levels of MMP1 and MMP14 were the highest in HNSC tissues. A significant correlation was found between the expression of MMP3, MMP11, MMP25 and the pathological stage of HNSC patients. There was no significant associations between all the MMP family members expression levels and DFS. Increased mRNA levels of MMP1, MMP8 and MMP25 were significantly associated with OS. In addition, we investigated the genetic changes of the MMP family in HNSC and found that all the MMP family members had genetic changes, most of which were amplification and depth loss. In the analysis of neighbor gene network and protein interaction, we found that the MMP family interacted with 25 neighboring genes, except for ILF3, MMP19, MMP20, MMP21, MMP23B, MMP27 and MMP28, other MMP proteins interacted with each other. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the MMP family could be present in the extracellular matrix, regulate peptidase activity, and participate in the catabolism of collagen. Meanwhile, we identified the transcription factor targets and kinase targets of the MMP family and found that ATM and ATR were the two most common kinase targets in the MMP family. We also found a significant correlation between the MMP family expression and immune cell infiltration. Cox proportional risk model analysis showed that macrophages, MMP14, MMP16, and MMP19 were significantly associated with clinical outcomes in HNSC patients. Conclusion The MMP family might serve as therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in HNSC.