%0 Journal Article
%T Overexpression of UTX promotes tumor progression in Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving surgical resection: a case control study.
%A Chen YH
%A Chen CH
%A Chien CY
%A Su YY
%A Luo SD
%A Li SH
%J BMC Cancer
%V 21
%N 1
%D Sep 2021 1
%M 34465286
%F 4.638
%R 10.1186/s12885-021-08726-3
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat on chromosome X (UTX) has been identified as a histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27) demethylase and acted as a tumor suppressor gene or oncogenic function. The current study was to explore the significance of UTX in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) patients who received surgical resection.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>A total of 148 OTSCC patients who underwent surgical resection were identified, including 64 patients (43%) with overexpression of UTX and 84 patients (57%) harboring low expression of UTX. We also used two OTSCC cell lines, SAS and Cal 27, to determine the modulation of cancer. Chi-square test was used to investigate the difference of categorical variables between the groups; survival outcome was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method in univariate analysis, and a Cox regression model was performed for multivariate analyses.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Univariate and multivariate analyses showed overexpression of UTX were significantly related to worse disease-free survival (P = 0.028) and overall survival (P = 0.029). The two OTSCC cell lines were treated with GSK-J4, a potent inhibitor of UTX, and transwell migration and invasion assays showed an inhibitory effect with a dose-dependent manner. In addition, western blot analyses also revealed the inhibition of cell cycle and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Our study suggests that UTX plays an important role in the process of OTSCC and overexpression of UTX may predict poor prognosis in OTSCC patients who received surgical resection.