Document Type : Short Communication
Authors
1 Orthodontic Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Oral and Dental Disease Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant salivary gland tumor; howev-er, comprehensive molecular models that distinguish MEC from normal parotid tissue remain poorly defined. This study aimed to identify and internally evaluate a compact candidate expres-sion signature distinguishing MEC from normal parotid tissue using a single public RNA-sequencing cohort. RNA-sequencing data from GSE282430, including 21 MEC and 6 normal pa-rotid samples, were analyzed using differential expression analysis and Hallmark pathway en-richment. Recently published MEC-related gene signatures were reconstructed, harmonized, and intersected with the cohort. Logistic regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were then used to evaluate tumor-versus-normal discrimination and derive a compact panel. A total of 385 genes were differentially expressed between MEC and normal tis-sue. A literature-derived union panel of 27 genes achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 1.00 for distinguishing MEC from normal parotid tissue. LASSO-based reduction yielded an exploratory three-gene signature comprising MLXIPL, POSTN, and SPP1, which showed an exploratory cross-validated AUC of 0.976. The selected genes represent complementary metabolic, stromal/extracellular matrix, and immune matrix processes, although functional interactions among them were not experimentally assessed. These findings support fur-ther investigation of this candidate signature, but external cross-platform validation and experi-mental confirmation are required before diagnostic or clinical interpretation.
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