ZNF750 exerted its Antitumor Action in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by regulating E2F2

Hong-Li Yang; Cong Xu; Yi-Kun Yang; Wen-Qiang Tang; Min Hong; Li Pan; Hai-Ying Chen

doi:10.7150/jca.63919

ZNF750 exerted its Antitumor Action in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by regulating E2F2

J Cancer. 2021 Oct 25;12(24):7266-7276. doi: 10.7150/jca.63919. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Hong-Li Yang¹, Cong Xu¹, Yi-Kun Yang¹, Wen-Qiang Tang¹, Min Hong², Li Pan¹, Hai-Ying Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Central laboratory of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, 252000, P.R. China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, P. R. China.

Abstract

Cell cycle activator E2F transcription factor 2 (E2F2) play a key role in tumor development and metastasis. Previous RNA sequence analysis (GSE134835) revealed E2F2 was significantly reduced by Zinc-finger protein 750 (ZNF750) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study was aimed to determine the involvement of E2F2 in antitumor action of ZNF750. The nude mouse xenograft model was established by subcutaneously injection of stable cell line CAL-27^oeZNF750 or CAL-27^shZNF750. Xenograft tumor volume and tumor weight was measured. The expression of E2F2, transcriptional repressors such as enhancer of zeste 2 (Ezh2), PHD finger protein 19 (PHF19), and the genes related to cell proliferation or metastasis was studied in vivo or in vitro. Luciferase assay was performed to investigate regulation effect of ZNF750 on E2F2 luciferase activity. The involvement of E2F2 in the antitumor action of ZNF750 was studied by cotransduced ZNF750 with E2F2 lentivirus. The tumor growth and metastasis was repressed by ZNF750 manifested by reduced tumor size, tumor weight and the genes related to cell proliferation and metastasis. However, all of these were reversed by knockdown of the ZNF750 gene. Furthermore, E2F2 luciferase activity was inhibited by ZNF750. E2F2 partly blocked the antitumor action of ZNF750 manifested by increased self-renewal, invasion, migration, elevated Ezh2 and MMP13 protein expression in ZNF750 + E2F2 groups. However, silenced E2F2 further enhanced the antitumor action of ZNF750. ZNF750 depressed E2F2 activity and played a critical role in regulating transcriptional repressors for inhibiting the OSCC growth and metastasis in OSCC.

Keywords: E2F transcription factor 2 (E2F2); Enhancer of zeste 2 (Ezh2); Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); PHD Finger protein 19 (PHF19); Zinc-finger protein 750.