Yin Xinghong, Luo Meng, Zha Xiaojun, Duan Maoli, Liu Yehai
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230000, China.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Fuyang People's Hospital, Fuyang, China.
BMC Cancer. 2025 Mar 27;25(1):549. doi: 10.1186/s12885-025-13937-z.
Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) presents significant challenges in terms of treatment and prognosis, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic targets and the development of effective targeted therapies to enhance patient outcomes and survival.
The expression level of RBMS1 in HNSCC was identified by GEO and TCGA databases through systematic bioinformatics analysis, and further verified in human specimens by quantitative Real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The results of CCK-8, colony formation assay, wound healing, Transwell, and tumor formation assays in nude mice showed that RBMS1 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HNSCC cells. The downstream target genes of RBMS1 were identified in the RBMS1 knockdown and the control groups of TU177 cells using RNA sequencing. HSPA8 was identified as a downstream target gene of RBMS1 in functional in vitro and tumor formation experiments in nude mice.
Elevated expression levels of RBMS1 in HNSCC were identified using relevant databases and validated in human specimens. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, overexpression of RBMS1 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HNSCC cells, whereas knockdown of RBMS1 significantly inhibited these processes. RNA sequencing analysis revealed HSPA8 as a downstream target of RBMS1, and rescue experiments confirmed that HSPA8 serves as a crucial intermediary in the regulatory pathway of tumor progression influenced by RBMS1.
This study suggests that RBMS1 regulates HSPA8 to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HNSCC cells, making it a potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.
头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）在治疗和预后方面面临重大挑战，凸显了对新治疗靶点的迫切需求以及开发有效的靶向治疗以改善患者预后和生存的必要性。
通过系统的生物信息学分析，利用GEO和TCGA数据库确定HNSCC中RBMS1的表达水平，并通过定量实时PCR、蛋白质免疫印迹和免疫组织化学在人体标本中进一步验证。CCK-8、集落形成试验、伤口愈合试验、Transwell试验以及裸鼠肿瘤形成试验的结果表明，RBMS1促进了HNSCC细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭。使用RNA测序在RBMS1敲低组和TU177细胞对照组中鉴定RBMS1的下游靶基因。在体外功能实验和裸鼠肿瘤形成实验中，HSPA8被鉴定为RBMS1的下游靶基因。
利用相关数据库确定了HNSCC中RBMS1的表达水平升高，并在人体标本中得到验证。在体外和体内研究中，RBMS1的过表达均促进了HNSCC细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭，而RBMS1的敲低则显著抑制了这些过程。RNA测序分析显示HSPA8是RBMS1的下游靶点，挽救实验证实HSPA8在RBMS1影响的肿瘤进展调控途径中起关键中介作用。
本研究表明，RBMS1通过调节HSPA8促进HNSCC细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭，使其成为HNSCC的潜在治疗靶点。
