ENAH‐202 promotes cancer progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma by regulating ZNF502/VIM axis

Abstract

Abstract Background We aimed to demonstrate the regulatory effect of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) ENAH‐202 on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development as well as its molecular mechanism. Methods We detected ENAH‐202 expression in OSCC tissues and cell lines by quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR). The biological function of ENAH‐202 was assessed in vitro and in vivo using CCK‐8, colony formation assays, transwell assays, xenograft formation, and tail vein injection. The further molecular mechanism by which ENAH‐202 promoted OSCC progression was identified using RNA pull‐down, LS‐MS/MS analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Results ENAH‐202 was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues and cells. ENAH‐202 promoted OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. The expression of enabled homolog (ENAH) and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related proteins was changed with the expression of ENAH‐202. Moreover, ENAH‐202 promoted the transcription of Vimentin (VIM) by binding with ZNF502, which can help ENAH‐202 promote OSCC progression. Conclusions ENAH‐202 facilitated OSCC cell proliferation and metastasis by regulating ZNF502/VIM axis, which played an important role in OSCC progression.

Keywords

• cancer progression
• ENAH‐202
• epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition
• long non‐coding RNA
• oral squamous cell carcinoma
• ZNF502