CBX8 suppresses tumor metastasis via repressing snail in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The poor clinical outcome and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is mainly attributed to its highly invasive and metastatic nature, making it urgent to further elicit the molecular mechanisms of the metastasis of ESCC. The function of each polycomb chromobox (CBX) protein in cancer is cell-type-dependent. Although CBX8 has been reported to promote the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumorigenesis, its role in ESCC metastasis has not been explored yet. In this study, we report that the inhibition of cell migration, invasion, and metastasis in ESCC requires CBX8-mediated repression of Snail, a key transcription factor that induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and that CBX8 inversely correlated with Snail in the ESCC tissues. Moreover, this novel function of CBX8 is dependent on its binding with the Snail promoter, which in turn suppresses the transcription of Snail. Collectively, CBX8 may play paradoxical roles in ESCC, inhibiting metastasis while promoting cell proliferation.