FOXP2 mediates ZSCAN18 transcriptional activation to inhibit oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by blocking Hedgehog signaling

Zinc finger and SCAN domain-containing (ZSCAN) family members have been implicated in cancer progression. This paper was to assess the role of ZSCAN18 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The OSCC datasets were obtained from the GEO database, and the differentially expressed gene ZSCAN18 was screened for the next analysis. ZSCAN18 protein levels in OSCC tissues and cell lines were investigated. ZSCAN18 was manually overexpressed in OSCC cells to analyze cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and stemness. The protein level of GLI1, a marker protein of the Hedgehog pathway, was detected to determine the effect of ZSCAN18 on this signaling pathway. A mouse xenograft tumor model was constructed to observe tumor growth. Rescue experiments were designed to validate the impact of the FOXP2/ZSCAN18 axis on OSCC. ZSCAN18 was lowly expressed in OSCC and predicted poor prognoses. ZSCAN18 overexpression inhibited OSCC progression, tumor cell stemness, and the Hedgehog pathway. FOXP2, an upstream transcription factor of ZSCAN18, transcriptionally activated ZSCAN18. Rescue experiments further confirmed that FOXP2 transcriptionally activated ZSCAN18 and thus inhibited stemness and tumor growth. Collectively, FOXP2 mediates ZSCAN18 transcriptional activation to inhibit OSCC by blocking Hedgehog signaling.