Mapping the Interactome of OSCC Prognostic-Associated Proteins NDRG1 and PGK1 Through Proximity Labeling Using TurboID

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent type
of head
and neck cancer, comprising over 90% of all oral malignancies worldwide.
The identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers for OSCC is
crucial for improving patient outcomes, as early detection and treatment
are critical for the successful management of this disease. Previously,
we demonstrated that N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) are
prognostic markers for OSCC; however, their role in OSCC development
remains unclear. To investigate this, we used TurboID-based proximity
labeling to identify the interactomes of NDRG1 and PGK1 in HEK293
cells. Herein, protein abundance patterns from three time points were
used for clustering 364 proteins with a “fast” or “slow”
response to biotin. Of these, 65 proteins were also identified in
neoplastic islands of OSCC patients from our previous study, and 28
of these proteins have their gene expression associated with prognostic
features, including death, metastasis, and relapse. PRM-MS enabled
the quantification of 17 of these proteins, providing further evidence
of their presence in the OSCC prognostic interactome. Finally, we
characterized a prognostic-associated interactome composed of 28 proteins,
which enabled the prioritization of candidates that can be further
explored in OSCC progression. The mass spectrometry data generated
in this study have been deposited in ProteomeXchange with the data
set identifier PXD048046.