RBMS1-HSPA8 axis activation drives head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100967800 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2407 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712407 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Cancer Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck*/genetics ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck*/pathology ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck*/metabolism ; Head and Neck Neoplasms*/genetics ; Head and Neck Neoplasms*/pathology ; Head and Neck Neoplasms*/metabolism ; Cell Proliferation* ; Disease Progression* ; Cell Movement*/genetics ; Mice, Nude* ; HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins*/metabolism ; HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins*/genetics; Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics ; RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism ; Female ; Male

Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This research involving human participants was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Quick-PJ 2021–02-32). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to their participation in this study. Animal experiments were conducted following approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Approval Number: Quick-PJ 2022–03-19). All procedures adhered to the ethical guidelines for animal research. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Background: 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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusions: 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.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

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2171127, 82371133, 82171128 and 82303021；2208085MH239；2022AH051134；NO. 4245 the Natural Science Foundation of China， Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ，the Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province ， Discipline Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University; 2171127, 82371133, 82171128 and 82303021；2208085MH239；2022AH051134；NO. 4245 the Natural Science Foundation of China， Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ，the Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province ， Discipline Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University; 2171127, 82371133, 82171128 and 82303021；2208085MH239；2022AH051134；NO. 4245 the Natural Science Foundation of China， Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ，the Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province ， Discipline Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University; 2171127, 82371133, 82171128 and 82303021；2208085MH239；2022AH051134；NO. 4245 the Natural Science Foundation of China， Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ，the Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province ， Discipline Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University; 2171127, 82371133, 82171128 and 82303021；2208085MH239；2022AH051134；NO. 4245 the Natural Science Foundation of China， Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ，the Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province ， Discipline Construction Project of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University

Keywords: HNSCC; HSPA8; Migration and invasion; Proliferation; RBMS1; Therapeutic target

0 (HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins)
0 (HSPA8 protein, human)
0 (RNA-Binding Proteins)

Date Created: 20250327 Date Completed: 20250327 Latest Revision: 20250329

20250329

PMC11948914

10.1186/s12885-025-13937-z

40140757