ECT2 Promotes Stemness Maintenance of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

SUN Xiaoyan; LI Yi; JIANG Yiqun

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Journal of Hunan Normal University(Medical Science) ›› 2025, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (5) : 1-8.

Basic Medicine

ECT2 Promotes Stemness Maintenance of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

SUN Xiaoyan, LI Yi, JIANG Yiqun

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Abstract

Objective Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common and poor prognosis malignant tumor. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have the potentials of self-renewal and differentiation, and they play key roles in cancer development and treatment. Epithelial cell transformation sequence 2 (ECT2), as a multifunctional oncogene, can regulate cell cycle, signaling pathways, and epigenetic modifications, and it plays a central role in tumorigenesis and development. The aim of this study was to explore the role of ECT2 in affecting the stemness maintenance of oral squamous carcinoma cells and to provide a basis for developing new therapeutic approaches for oral squamous carcinoma. Methods Big data analysis of TCGA and GEO databases were combined to determine that ECT2 was associated with oral squamous carcinoma stemness, and the expression level and clinical prognostic value of ECT2 were evaluated. Overexpression and knockdown ECT2 cell lines were constructed using lentiviral infection, and tumor spheroid formation in vivo and migration in vitro assays of oral squamous carcinoma were performed. Results ECT2 was highly expressed in oral squamous carcinoma and its level was correlated with poor patient prognosis. By overexpressing and knocking down ECT2 in oral squamous carcinoma, we revealed that ECT2 regulated the maintenance of stem cell-like properties in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion ECT2 is highly expressed in oral squamous carcinoma, and it promotes stemness maintenance in oral squamous carcinoma.

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oral squamous cell carcinoma / cancer cell stemness / ECT2

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SUN Xiaoyan, LI Yi, JIANG Yiqun. ECT2 Promotes Stemness Maintenance of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma[J]. Journal of Hunan Normal University(Medical Science). 2025, 22(5): 1-8

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