CDK1 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Migration of Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma Cells by Repressing ΔNp63α-Mediated Transcriptional Regulation

Delta Np63 alpha is a key transcription factor overexpressed in types of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which represses epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration. In this study, we found that CDK1 phosphorylates Delta Np63 alpha at the T123 site, impairing its affinity to the target promoters of its downstream genes and its regulation of them in turn. Database analysis revealed that CDK1 is overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), especially the metastatic HNSCCs, and is negatively correlated with overall survival. We further found that CDK1 promotes the EMT and migration of HNSCC cells by inhibiting Delta Np63 alpha. Altogether, our study identified CDK1 as a novel regulator of Delta Np63 alpha, which can modulate EMT and cell migration in HNSCCs. Our findings will help to elucidate the migration mechanism of HNSCC cells.

Automated summary

CDK1 is identified as a novel regulator of Delta Np63 alpha, which modulates EMT and cell migration in HNSCCs. Overexpression of CDK1 is negatively correlated with metastasis and overall survival in HNSCC.