Muc-1 promotes migration and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells via PI3K-Akt signaling.

Muc-1 is a member of the carbohydrate-binding protein family that contributes to neoplastic transformation, tumor survival, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of muc-1 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma progression. In this study, we tested our hypothesis that muc-1 regulate oral squamous cell carcinoma cells (SCC-9) malignant biological behaviors, and silencing muc-1 reduced SCC-9 cellular colony forming ability, migration and invasion. Moreover, silenced cells present defects in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-serine/threonine kinase (Akt) signaling, and reduced expression/activity of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2/9. Furthermore, in muc-1 siRNA-transfected cells, we detected a decrease in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. In vivo, muc-1 siRNA cells inoculated subcutaneously in nude mice demonstrated decreased tumor growth and PI3K-Akt signaling inhibition. These results indicate that muc-1 is a key factor in SCC-9 tumor migration, invasion, and suggesting that muc-1 can be a novel therapeutic target in oral squamous cell carcinoma.