Abstract
Ubiquitin like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 (UHRF1) contributes to the progression of many cancers. Here, we firstly observed UHRF1 was elevated in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and related to the differentiation stages. Knockdown of UHRF1 in A431 and Scl-1 attenuated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Through a mouse xenograft model, we found UHRF1 deficiency ameliorated tumor growth. These results may be associated with destruction of multiple signal pathways. In summary, our results suggest UHRF1 is involved in the pathogenesis of cSCC and may be a therapeutic target.
Ethical approval
This study was performed ethically in line with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from patients before the sample collection. The study protocol was approved by the Hospital Research Ethics Committee.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Li Jing and Dr. Liu Yanting from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University for technical assistance.
Author contributions
Qingyan Li and Songmei geng designed the experiments and drafted the manuscript. Qingyan Li and Zhaowei Chu conducted the study and performed the statistical analysis. Songmei geng and Zhaowei Chu revised the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data availability statement
The data used and/or analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.