Lysophosphatidic Acid-Induced TWIST1 and Slug Expression in Oral Cancer Cell Invasion

Abstract

Relative to its incidence, oral cancer has serious negative social effects. The exact causes of oral cancer have not been clarified, but many studies have implicated smoking and drinking. However, the fundamental mechanism of oral cancer causation has yet to be elucidated. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) augments epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and development of various cancer cells. However, a detailed mechanistic explanation for LPA-induced EMT and the effects of EMT-promoting conditions on oral squamous cell carcinoma development remain elusive. In the present study, a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze TWIST1, Slug, E-cadherin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) transcript expression. Immunoblotting was used to analyze TWIST1, Slug, E-cadherin, and GAPDH protein expression. siRNAs were used to silence TWIST1 and Slug transcript expression. A matrigel-coated in vitro invasion insert was used to analyze oral cancer cell invasion. The results of the present study show that the expression levels of TWIST1 and Slug, which are EMT factors, were increased by LPA treatment in YD-10B oral squamous cell carcinoma. Conversely, E-cadherin expression was significantly reduced. In addition, transfection of the cells with TWIST1 and Slug siRNA strongly inhibited LPA-induced oral cancer cell invasion. The present study shows that TWIST1 and Slug mediate LPA-induced oral cancer cell EMT and invasiveness. The present study confirmed the mechanism by which LPA promotes oral cancer cell development, with TWIST1 and Slug providing novel biomarkers and promising therapeutic targets for oral cancer cell development.

Effect of STAT3 on Lysophosphatidic Acid-Induced Oral Cancer Cell Invasion

“…Recently, our group reported that LPA plays an important role in promoting the metastasis of oral cancer cells by upregulating the expression levels of TWIST1 and Slug 12,13) . However, the exact mechanism by which LPA induces oral cancer metastasis remains to be elucidated.…”