FTH1 indicates poor prognosis and promotes metastasis by regulating HMOX1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Currently, FTH1 has been increasingly found to play a crucial role in cancer as a core regulator of ferroptosis, while its role of non-ferroptosis in HNSCC is still unclear. Herein, we analyzed the expression level of FTH1 in HNSCC using TCGA database and FTH1 protein in HNSCC tissues and cell lines was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting, respectively. Then, its prognostic value and relationship with clinical parameters were investigated in HNSCC patients. Additionally, the biological function and its molecular mechanism of FTH1 in HNSCC were explored. The current study showed that FTH1 is significantly overexpressed in HNSCC tissues and related to poor prognosis and lymph node metastasis of HNSCC. FTH1 knockdown could suppress the metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of HNSCC and we further demonstrated that it may be caused by the inactivation of β-catenin/ZEB1 through HMOX1. Taken together, our findings indicate that FTH1 plays a critical role in the progression and metastasis of HNSCC and can serve as a promising prognostic factor and therapeutic target in HNSCC.