The Role of TGF-β1 and Mutant SMAD4 on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Features in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines

The aim of the present study was to investigate possible differences in the sensitivity of HNSCC cells to known EMT regulators. Three HNSCC cell lines (UM-SCC-1, -3, -22B) and the HaCaT control keratinocyte cell line were exposed to transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), a known EMT master regulator, and the cellular response was evaluated by real-time cell analysis (RTCA), Western blot, quantitative PCR, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, and the wound closure (scratch) assay. Targeted sequencing on 50 cancer-related genes was performed using the Cancer Hotspot Panel v2. Mutant, and wild type <i>SMAD4</i> cDNA was used to generate recombinant <i>SMAD4</i> constructs for expression in mammalian cell lines. The most extensive response to TGF-β1, such as cell growth and migration, β-actin expression, or E-cadherin (CDH1) downregulation, was seen in cells with a more epithelial phenotype. Lower response correlated with higher basal p-TGFβ RII (Tyr424) levels, pointing to a possible autocrine pre-activation of these cell lines. Targeted sequencing revealed a homozygous <i>SMAD4</i> mutation in the UM-SCC-22B cell line. Furthermore, PCR cloning of <i>SMAD4</i> cDNA from the same cell line revealed an additional <i>SMAD4</i> transcript with a 14 bp insertion mutation, which gives rise to a truncated SMAD4 protein. Overexpression of this mutant SMAD4 protein in the highly epithelial control cell line HaCaT resulted in upregulation of TGF-β1 and vimentin. Consistent with previous reports, the invasive and metastatic potential of HNSCC tumor cells appears associated with the level of autocrine secretion of EMT regulators such as TGF-β1, and it could be influenced by exogenous EMT cytokines such as those derived from immune cells of the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, mutant SMAD4 appears to be a significant contributor to the mesenchymal transformation of HNSCC cells.