Smoking status regulates a novel panel of PIWI-interacting RNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Our analyses implicated a 13-member piRNA panel in smoking-related HNSCC, among which NONHSAT123636 and NONHSAT113708 associated with tumor stage, NONHSAT067200 with patient survival, and NONHSAT081250 with smoking-altered PIWIL1 protein expression. 6 piRNAs as well as PIWIL1 correlated with genomic alterations common to HNSCC, including TP53 mutation, TP53-3p co-occurrence, and 3q26, 8q24, and 11q13 amplification. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the etiology-specific piRNA landscape of smoking-induced HNSCC.