Expression of USP22 and the chromosomal passenger complex is an indicator of malignant progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral cancer is a common cancer of the head and neck. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents almost 90% of the total cases of head and neck cancer. Ubiquitin‑specific protease 22 (USP22) is a deubiquitinating hydrolase, and it is highly expressed in various types of cancer, which also typically have a poor prognosis. Aurora‑B and Survivin, which belong to the chromosomal passenger complex, are also highly expressed in a number of types of cancer. In the present study, USP22 expression and its associations with Aurora‑B and Survivin, and the clinicopathological features in OSCC were explored. USP22 is highly expressed in OSCC. Overexpression of USP22 is associated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade (P<0.01). Additionally, the expression of USP22 was positively associated with Aurora‑B (P<0.01), Survivin (P<0.01), and Ki‑67 (P<0.01). Furthermore, USP22 small interfering RNA inhibited cell growth and reduced the expression levels of Aurora‑B, Survivin and Cyclin B, together with the upregulation of cyclin‑dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21). These data suggest that USP22, Aurora‑B and Survivin promote the OSCC development and may represent novel targets for OSCC diagnosis and treatment in the future.

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