Effects of HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA on the metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and Notch signaling pathway in tongue cancer

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of long non-coding RNA HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (lncHOTAIR) on the proliferation and migration of Tca-8113 cells and TSCCA cells, as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and Notch signaling pathway. To further explore the role of HOTAIR in the development of tongue cancer. METHODS: Transfection was performed on Tca8113 cells using siRNA to knock down the expression of HOTAIR. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazole-2, 5-diphenyltetrazole-2, bromination method (MTT) was used to determine the proliferation of the experimental group and the control group. And cellular migration and invasion was evaluated using Transwell assay. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the EMT related protein expression, together with the Notch signaling pathway related protein such as Jagged-1, Notch-1, and Hes-1. RESULTS: The proliferation of cancer cells was inhibited after silencing with small interfering (si)RNA. The invasion and migration of cancer cells was inhibited after silencing with small interfering (si)RNA (P<0.01). The expression of Jagged-1, Notch-1, and Hes-1 protein in the transfected HOTAIR siRNA cells was substantial decreased compared with the control (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that lncHOTAIR contributes to the invasion and metastasis of Tca-8113 and TSCCA cells, which may be related to the EMT. There may be an involvement of HOTAIR in the pathogenesis of tongue cancer through modulation of the Notch signaling pathway.