Effects of transcription factor SOX11 on the biological behavior of neuroblastoma cell and potential regulatory mechanism

Ann Surg Treat Res. 2024 May;106(5):284-295. doi: 10.4174/astr.2024.106.5.284. Epub 2024 Apr 30.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the expression and prognosis of SRY-box transcription factor 11 (SOX11) in neuroblastoma (NB), as well as the biological function and potential regulatory mechanism of SOX11 in NB.

Methods: Public RNA sequencing was used to detect the expression level of SOX11. The Kaplan-Meier curve and hazard ratios (HR) were used to determine the prognostic value of SOX11 in NB. Functional analyses were performed using CCK8, wound healing assay, and transwell invasion assay. Finally, the potential target genes of SOX11 were predicted by Harmonizonme (Ma'ayan Laboratory) and Cistrome Data Browser (Cistrome Project) database to explore the potential molecular mechanism of SOX11 in NB.

Results: Compared with normal adrenal tissue, the expression of SOX11 in NB tissue was significantly upregulated. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that high expression of SOX11 was associated with poor prognosis in children with NB (HR, 1.719; P = 0.049). SOX11 knockdown suppressed the migration capacity of SK-N-SH cells but did not affect proliferation and invasion capacity. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) may be a potential downstream target gene for the transcription factor SOX11 to play a role in NB.

Conclusion: The transcription factor SOX11 was significantly upregulated in NB. SOX11 knockdown suppressed the migration capacity of NB cell SK-N-SH. SOX11 may promote the progression of NB by targeting EZH2.

Keywords: Cell migration inhibition; Enhancer of zeste homolog 2; Neuroblastoma; SOXC transcription factors.