Zhang Siang, Jin Yuxiang, Han Qianyu, Zhao Xuewei, Xue Lei
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
J Gene Med. 2025 Feb;27(2):e700009. doi: 10.1002/jgm.70009.
The forkhead box A (FOXA) family has been extensively studied in cancer research; however, the role of FOXA3 in malignant tumors, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), is not well understood. This study explores the expression and function of FOXA3 in ESCC, assessing its potential as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target.
This study analyzed FOXA3 expression in ESCC tissues and its correlation with patient prognosis. The effects of FOXA3 overexpression on ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were examined in ESCC cell lines in vitro. Additionally, an in vivo tumorigenesis assay was performed using subcutaneous injection to assess the impact of FOXA3 overexpression on tumor growth. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the significance of the results.
FOXA3 expression was significantly reduced in ESCC tissues compared with it in paired adjacent normal tissues, and low FOXA3 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients. FOXA3 overexpression markedly inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, overexpression of FOXA3 repressed tumor growth in mice.
These findings indicate that FOXA3 acts as a tumor suppressor in ESCC, and its low expression is linked to poor outcomes. FOXA3 may serve as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for ESCC.
叉头框A（FOXA）家族在癌症研究中已得到广泛研究；然而，FOXA3在恶性肿瘤，尤其是食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）中的作用尚不清楚。本研究探讨FOXA3在ESCC中的表达和功能，评估其作为预后标志物和治疗靶点的潜力。
本研究分析了ESCC组织中FOXA3的表达及其与患者预后的相关性。在体外ESCC细胞系中检测了FOXA3过表达对ESCC细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响。此外，通过皮下注射进行体内肿瘤发生试验，以评估FOXA3过表达对肿瘤生长的影响。进行统计分析以确定结果的显著性。
与配对的相邻正常组织相比，ESCC组织中FOXA3表达显著降低，且低FOXA3表达与ESCC患者的不良预后显著相关。FOXA3过表达显著抑制ESCC细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭。此外，FOXA3过表达抑制了小鼠肿瘤生长。
这些发现表明FOXA3在ESCC中起肿瘤抑制作用，其低表达与不良预后相关。FOXA3可能作为ESCC的潜在诊断和治疗靶点。
