Methylation status of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 concurs with the malignance of oral tongue cancer

BACKGROUND: Aberrant insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) expression has been found in various cancers such as prostate, breast, and colon. IGFBP-7 induced the apoptosis of tumor and potentially predicted the clinical outcome in some cancers is further demonstrated. This study investigates the causes and underlying mechanisms of aberrant IGFBP-7 expression in unravelling head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: A total of 47 oral tongue cancer patient samples were primarily analyzed for the methylation status in 5′ region of IGFBP-7 by methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR). Subsequently the invasion, overexpression, and knockdown of IGFBP-7 in the HNSCC A253 invasive subpopulation were employed to examine the effect of IGFBP-7. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker genes and AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling were further evaluated by Western blot for the understanding the role of aberrant IGFBP-7 expression and thereof putative mechanism. RESULTS: EMT expressed in the invasive subpopulation of HNSCC cell lines (A253 and RPMI 2650) was contemporary with the down-regulation of IGFBP-7. After treatment with 5-AZA-2′ deoxycytidine, the de-methylated CpG sites in the 5′ region of IGFBP-7 were observed and IGFBP-7 mRNA expression was also restored. Accordingly, re-expression IGFBP-7 in invasive subpopulation of A253 could induce the mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET) and concurrently inhibited the cell invasion. Moreover, IGFBP-7 methylation status of 47 oral tongue tumors showed a positive correlation to invasive depth of the tumor, loco-regional recurrence, and cancer sequence. CONCLUSIONS: IGFBP-7 can alter EMT relative marker genes and suppress cell invasion in A253 cell through AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling. The epigenetic control of IGFBP-7 in the invasion and metastasis of HNSCC was reported, suggesting that IGFBP-7 could be a prognostic factor for the probability of invasion and a therapeutic remedy. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-015-0138-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.