HOXC8: a predictive glioma biomarker that induces epithelia-mesenchymal transition

Tingyu Liang; Xiaoxuan Wang; Peiliang Li; Yang Cao; Enshan Feng; Gan You

doi:10.1186/s41016-018-0132-9

HOXC8: a predictive glioma biomarker that induces epithelia-mesenchymal transition

Chin Neurosurg J. 2018 Aug 28:4:24. doi: 10.1186/s41016-018-0132-9. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Tingyu Liang^#¹, Xiaoxuan Wang^#², Peiliang Li¹, Yang Cao¹, Enshan Feng¹, Gan You^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020 China.
² Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050 China.
³ Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 6 TiantanXili, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100050 China.
⁴ Department of Neuropathology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, No. 6 TiantanXili, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100050 China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The transcription factor Homeobox C8 (HOXC8) is overexpressed and regulates many important genes involved in the proliferation and invasion of many malignant tumors. However, the function of HOXC8 in gliomas remains unclear.

Method: Based on the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) set, HOXC8 expression is negatively correlated with overall survival (OS). Small interfering RNA (si-HOXC8) was used to downregulate the mRNA and protein expression levels of HOXC8 to assess glioma cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

Results: Patients with higher HOXC8 levels showed poorer prognosis. DAVID analysis results indicated that HOXC8 was related to cell cycle, cell adhesion and immune response. In U251 and LN229 glioma cells treated with small interfering RNA for HOXC8 (si-HOXC8) for gene knockdown, significantly lower cell capacity of growth, migration and invasion was observed. Moreover, HOXC8 knockdown could reduce the protein expression of classical epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) related markers.

Conclusion: HOXC8 may play an important role in glioma proliferation, migration and invasion. These findings indicated that HOXC8 may constitute a novel target for glioma treatment.

Keywords: Cell cycle; EMT; HOXC8; Invasion; Migration.