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Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research
Published in: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research 1/2024

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Metastasis | Research

KLF7 regulates super-enhancer-driven IGF2BP2 overexpression to promote the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Authors: Hongshi Cai, Jianfeng Liang, Yaoqi Jiang, Ziyi Wang, Hongyu Li, Wenjin Wang, Cheng Wang, Jinsong Hou

Published in: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Background

Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is known for its high aggressiveness and susceptibility to cervical lymph node metastasis, which greatly contributes to its poor prognosis. During tumorigenesis, many types of cancer cells acquire oncogenic super-enhancers (SEs) that drive the overexpression of oncogenes, thereby maintaining malignant progression. This study aimed to identify and validate the role of oncogenic SE-associated genes in the malignant progression of HNSCC.

Methods

We identified HNSCC cell-specific SE-associated genes through H3K27Ac ChIP-seq and overlapped them with HNSCC-associated genes obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify hub genes. The expression of IGF2BP2 and KLF7 in HNSCC was detected using clinical samples. To determine the biological role of IGF2BP2, we performed CCK-8, colony formation assay, Transwell migration assay, invasion assay, and orthotopic xenograft model experiments. Furthermore, we utilized a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system, small-molecule inhibitors, ChIP-qPCR, and dual-luciferase reporter assays to investigate the molecular mechanisms of IGF2BP2 and its upstream transcription factors.

Results

Our study identified IGF2BP2 as a hub SE-associated gene that exhibited aberrant expression in HNSCC tissues. Increased expression of IGF2BP2 was observed to be linked with malignant progression and unfavorable prognosis in HNSCC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that IGF2BP2 promotes the tumorigenicity and metastasis of HNSCC by promoting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, the IGF2BP2-SE region displayed enrichment for H3K27Ac, BRD4, and MED1, which led to the inhibition of IGF2BP2 transcription and expression through deactivation of the SE-associated transcriptional program. Additionally, KLF7 was found to induce the transcription of IGF2BP2 and directly bind to its promoter and SE regions. Moreover, the abundance of KLF7 exhibited a positive correlation with the abundance of IGF2BP2 in HNSCC. Patients with high expression of both KLF7 and IGF2BP2 showed poorer prognosis. Lastly, we demonstrated that the small molecule inhibitor JQ1, targeting BRD4, attenuated the proliferation and metastatic abilities of HNSCC cells.

Conclusions

Our study reveals the critical role of IGF2BP2 overexpression mediated by SE and KLF7 in promoting HNSCC progression. Targeting SE-associated transcriptional programs may represent a potential therapeutic strategy in managing HNSCC.
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Metadata
Title
KLF7 regulates super-enhancer-driven IGF2BP2 overexpression to promote the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors
Hongshi Cai
Jianfeng Liang
Yaoqi Jiang
Ziyi Wang
Hongyu Li
Wenjin Wang
Cheng Wang
Jinsong Hou
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Metastasis
Published in
Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1756-9966
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-024-02996-y

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