Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China
Tianshu Zhang
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China
Juncheng Yao
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China
Kaitian Lu
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China
Ziqiu Hu
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China
Xinsheng Gu
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China
Yongji Chen
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China; Corresponding author
Shanshan Qin
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China; Corresponding author
Weidong Leng
Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Institute of Oral Diseases, School of Dentistry, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Summary: Accumulating evidence has shown that fibromodulin (FMOD) plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the biological function of FMOD in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely unclear to date. In this study, we confirmed that FMOD was overexpressed and showed a significant association with malignant progression and lymph node metastasis in OSCC. Depletion of FMOD inhibited OSCC proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing, western blotting, and rescue assays verified that FMOD exerted oncogenic roles in OSCC via activation of EGFR signaling. In addition, FMOD was proved to be a putative target gene of miR-338-3p. Taken together, FMOD overexpression due to the reduced level of miR-338-3p promotes OSCC by activating EGFR signaling. Our findings provide direct evidence that targeting FMOD could be a promising therapeutic strategy for OSCC patients.
