Expression changes of methyltransferase 16 and methionine adenosine transferase 2A in tongue squamous cell carcinosis in rats
Objective To explore the expression changes and significance of methyltransferase 16(METTL16)and me-thionine adenosine transferase 2A(MAT2A)in tongue squamous cell carcinoma in rats.Methods The study was con-ducted at the Medical Research Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University from June 2022 to May 2023.Forty-eight 6-week-old male SD rats were chosen and randomly divided into study group(n=40)and control group(n=8).The study group was randomly divided into 5 time subgroups,with 8 rats in each subgroup.The tongue squamous cell carcinoma model was induced and constructed by drinking 0.004%4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(4NQO)aqueous solution.The tongue dorsal mucosa lesions were cut after 12,15,18,21 and 24 weeks,respectively.The control group drank pure water,and the samples were taken after 24 weeks.The changes of body weight and tongue dorsal muco-sa morphology of rats in the study group and the control group were observed.HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of tongue mucosa in rats,and the rats were regrouped according to the degree of lesion.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of METTL16 and MAT2A in different lesion groups[average optical density(AOD)value].Results With the increase of induction time,the body weight of rats in the 24-week subgroup of the study group and the control group changed,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(all P<0.05).The tongue dorsal mucosa of the rats in the study group gradually showed changes from leukoplakia to cauliflower-like masses.According to the pathological changes of the tongue dorsal mucosa of the rats in the study group and the control group,they were divided into normal mucosa group(8 rats),simple hyperplasia group(10 rats),mild dysplasia group(13 rats),moderate to severe dysplasia group(8 rats),and tongue squamous cell carcinoma group(9 rats).The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the AOD values of METTL16 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma group and moderate to severe dysplasia group were higher than those in normal mucosa group,simple hyperplasia group and mild dysplasia group(all P<0.05).The AOD values of MAT2A in tongue squamous cell carcinoma group,moderate to severe dysplasia group and mild dysplasia group were higher than those in normal mucosa group and simple hyperplasia group,and the AOD value of MAT2A in tongue squamous cell carcinoma group was also higher than that in mild dysplasia group,the differences being statistically sig-nificant(all P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression of METTL16 and MAT2A was positively correlated in different lesion degree groups(r=0.875,P<0.001).Conclusion The expression of METTL16 and MAT2A shows dynamic changes in tongue squamous cell carcinoma in rats.Moreover,they are significantly higher in moderate to severe dysplasia and cancer tissues than in normal mucosal tissues.METTL16 and MAT2A may synergisti-cally promote the occurrence and development of tongue squamous cell carcinoma in rats.