Transcriptome analysis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Utilizing Expression Datasets of Middle-aged Indian Males

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a major contributor to disease burden and mortality, particularly in rural India. This study aims to identify genes associated with OSCC through differential expression analysis utilizing datasets (BioProject: PRJNA853478) obtained from middle-aged Indian males. Differential expression analysis, transcript assembly, and functional enrichment were performed using standard Tuxedo II suite protocols, along with the StringTie, Ballgown, and KOBAS packages. The comprehensive analysis identified genes like NOTCH1, PTEN, and NCBP2 as significantly associated with OSCC. Furthermore, our findings contrast with existing studies, as we did not observe a significant association of crucial mediators of OSCC such as PROS1 and CTBP1 genes, which may be attributed to ethnic variations and differing sampling strategies. Importantly, we observed a significant enrichment of DNA repair pathways, particularly mismatch repair genes suggesting these pathways as promising prognostic and therapeutic targets for OSCC. Overall, our findings have identified key genes associated with OSCC, and the expression profiling of these genes may serve as valuable prognostic markers for the detection of OSCC, particularly in the context of the Indian population.