Foxj2 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis, progression, and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Foxj2, a novel member of Forkhead box family, has been reported to play an important role in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis of certain cancers. However, the expression status and effects of Foxj2 on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression and metastasis remain debated. In this study, we first examined the expression of Foxj2 in NPC by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis. We confirmed significantly elevated expression of Foxj2 in NPC tissues and cell lines. Next, the relationships between Foxj2 expression levels and the clinicopathological factors were investigated. Its expression level correlated with T-classification (P=0.026), distant metastasis (P=0.004), and clinical stage (P=0.029). In addition, high expression of Foxj2 was associated with poor prognosis in NPC patients. The effects of Foxj2 on cell proliferation and migration were explored by RNA interference (RNAi) with CCK-8 assay, cell cycle analyses, wound healing, and transwell assay. In conclusion, our data indicate that Foxj2 upregulation promotes the progression and migration of NPC. It makes Foxj2 serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NPC.