High expression of FMNL3 associates with cancer cell migration, invasion, and unfavorable prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to ascertain the expression and role of FMNL3 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and western blot were used to study the expression of FMNL3 in TSCC tissues and its adjacent normal tissues. The relationship between FMNL3 overexpression and various clinicopathological parameters and patients' survival were further assessed. Next, we applied SCC25 and UM1 cell lines to study the effect of FMNL3 on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by silencing FMNL3. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrated that FMNL3 expression was notably upregulated in TSCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis. The Cox regression survival analyses identified FMNL3 as an important independent predictor for patients' overall survival. We found that FMNL3 silencing by siRNA inhibited SCC25 and UM1 cell migration an invasion. CONCLUSION: FMNL3 overexpression is related to the metastasis of TSCC and poor prognosis. High expression of FMNL3 may become a new potential prognostic biomarker for patients with TSCC.