The aim of this research was to study how HPV-16 E7 affects the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells by upregulating the expression of miR-20a. A total of 60 OSCC patients were included in this study. SiRNA-198 was used to inhibit HPV-16 E7, and the constructed plasmid of HPV-16 E7 was transfected into Cal27 cells. Then, HPV-16 E7 protein was detected by Western blot and RT-PCR was performed to measure miR-20a expression in OSCC cells. Either HPV-16 E7 or the combination of HPV-16 E7 and miR-20a inhibitors was transfected into Cal27 cells separately. And then, the effect of miR-20a on OSCC cells proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8. Moreover, transwell assay and wound healing assay were used to assess the impact of miR-20a on OSCC cell invasion migration. MiR-20a was significantly higher in OSCC tissues compared with para-carcinoma tissues. RT-PCR results indicated that miR-20a was downregulated after silencing HPV-16 E7. By contrast, miR-20a was upregulated after the overexpression of HPV-16 E7. Upregulation of miR-20a by transfected plasmid HPV-16 E7 can significantly inhibit Cal27 cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. The expression of MiR-20a upregulated by HPV-16 E7 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC cells.
Keywords: HPV-16 E7; Invasion; MiR-20a; Migration; OSCC; Proliferation.