Forkhead Box S1 Inhibits The Progression Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

IntroductionForkhead box(FOX)superfamily members are closely related to tumor development.Forkhead box S1(FOXS1)is a member of the FOX family and has been reported to be closely related to malignant tumors.However,its expression and role in hepatocellular carcinoma are still unclear.The purpose of this study is to determine the expression level of FOXS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and to further clarify its role in the progression of liver cancer.Methodsq RT-PCR was conducted to detect the m RNA expression of FOXS1 in liver cancer;and Western blot and immunohistochemistry were conducted to detect the protein expression of FOXS1.CCK-8 assays validated the effect of FOXS1 on cell proliferation of liver cancer cell lines.Transwell and wound healing clarified the inhibiting effect of FOXS1 on the invasion and motility of liver cancer cell lines.Nude mice xenograft model was used to further evaluate the effect of FOXS1 overexpression on liver cancer in vivo.ResultsWe confirmed that the m RNA expression of FOXS1 in HCC samples is lower than that in normal liver tissues.In vivo and in vitro,overexpression of FOXS1 inhibited the proliferation,colony formation,epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)and hedgehog(Hh)signaling pathways of liver cancer cells.SAG,an activator of Hh signaling,partially reversed the effect of FOXS1 overexpression in HCC cells.ConclusionFOXS1 may inhibit the proliferation,colony formation and EMT of HCC cells by inhibiting the Hh signaling pathway,suggesting that FOXS1 may be a promising biological target in HCC.