Expression and Significance of Sex-Determining Region Y (SRY)–Box 12 (SOX12) in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a ubiquitous malignancy and is associated with high mortality. Accumulating evidence indicates that transcription factors play a pivotal role in the progression of OSCC. This study was aimed to investigate the expression of SOX12 in OSCC and its significance. SOX12 expression in OSCC tissues was analyzed through TCGA databases and then tested by Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis. Moreover, SOX12 was silenced by RNA interference in OSCC cells (SCC-25 and SCC-4), and the growth ability of OSCC cells was examined using MTT assay. The level of SOX12 was upregulated in OSCC according to the TCGA results, which was further confirmed in the OSCC cell lines. Patients with high SOX12 expression had shorter overall survival (OS) than those with low SOX12 expression. High expression of SOX12 is positively correlated with T stage of OSCC. In addition, MTT analysis indicated that silencing of SOX12 resulted in reduced OSCC cell proliferation. Taken together, the high expression of SOX12 in OSCC indicates that SOX12 gene may play an essential role in OSCC. Our research indicates that SOX12 expression could be a predictive biomarker and is a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.