YBX1 promotes laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma progression via activating MAPK/ERK signaling as a target of miR-382-5p

Abstract Background. Y-box binding protein-1 (YBX1) influences the onset and progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains unknown. The present study therefore sought to explore the mechanistic role of YBX1 in LSCC. Methods.Analyses of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and associated bioinformatics analyses revealed that YBX1 was upregulated in LSCC, and we further confirmed this result using primary LSCC patient samples. We additionally explored the impact of siRNA-mediated YBX1 knockdown on LSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion using CCK8, wound healing, and Transwell assays. We then conducted interrogated miRNA databases and conducted subsequent luciferase reporter assays to confirm that miR-382-5p binds to YBX1. Additional studies of the mechanisms downstream of this miR-382-5p/YBX1 axis focused on detecting the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signaling-related genes via qPCR and Western blotting. Results.We detected significant upregulation of YBX1 in LSCC tumors that was significantly correlated with advanced TNM stage and poor patient prognosis. Knockdown of YBX1 markedly impaired the proliferative, invasive, and migratory activity of Tu212 cells in vitro. From a mechanistic perspective, miR-382-5p was found to bind to the YBX1 3’-untranslated region and to thereby inhibit LSCC progression. We further confirmed that miR-382-5p negatively regulated YBX1 to inhibit proliferation via the MAPK/ ERK signaling axis in LSCC. Conclusion.Together, our results indicated that YBX1 is an important promoter of LSCC progression, and that miR-382-5p can suppress YBX1 expression and inactivate MAPK/ERK signaling. These findings may thus highlight novel and promising prognostic and therapeutic targets in the context of LSCC.