Knockdown of FOXJ1 inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Forkhead box (FOX) proteins are a large family of transcription factors that are involved in multiple biological processes. FOXJ1, a member of the FOX family, has been found to participate in tumorigenesis. However, the role of FOXJ1 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential roles of FOXJ1 in LSCC. Our results showed that FOXJ1 was overexpressed in LSCC tissues and cell lines. Then the small interfering RNA targeting FOXJ1 (FOXJ1-siRNA) or control siRNA was transfected into TU-177 and AMC-HN-8 cells to knockdown FOXJ1. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay showed that knockdown of FOXJ1 inhibited the proliferation of LSCC cells. Transwell assay revealed that FOXJ1-siRNA-transfected cells showed significant reduction in cell migration and invasion compared to the cells transfected with control siRNA. FOXJ1 knockdown suppressed glycolysis in LSCC cells, which was illustrated by the reduced glucose consumption and lactate production. In addition, FOXJ1 knockdown inhibited the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and the LiCl treatment mitigated the inhibitory effects of FOXJ1-siRNA on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis. These findings indicated that FOXJ1-siRNA executed its functions via suppressing the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

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