LAUSR

miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of targeted genes plays crucial roles in neoplastic process. miR-372 has been shown an oncogenic miRNA which is hypoxia-inducible and is conspicuously up-regulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7A) is a transcriptional repressor modulating a great diversities of physiological or oncogenic regulation. This study identified that ZBTB7A was a direct target of miR-372. ZBTB7A was down-regulated in 75% of OSCC tumors relative to adjacent oral mucosa. Reverse correlation across miR-372 expression and ZBTB7A expression was found in tumor samples. In OSCC cells with the stable knockdown of ZBTB7A, the oncogenic potential and drug resistance increased. Whereas, such increase was attenuated by ZBTB7A expression. High throughput screening and validation assay confirmed that ZBTB7A was able to repress multiple oncogenic factors and activate the expression of Trail-R1, Trail-R2 and Fas to increase the drug sensitivity in OSCC cells. miR-372 induction drastically repressed the expression of apoptosis genes by inhibiting ZBTB7A. This was accompany with the enrichment of oncogenicity and the increased tolerance to the toxicity of cisplatin and taxol. This study signifies the importance of miR-372-ZBTB7A-downstream effectors in mediating pathogenesis and drug resistance of OSCC. Interception of this pathogenic cascade would confer therapeutic benefits against oral carcinoma. Citation Format: Li-Yin Yeh, Chung-Hsien Chou, Chung-Ji Liu, Shu-Chun Lin, Kuo-Wei Chang. miR-372 enhances tumorigenesis and drug resistance in oral carcinoma by targeting ZBTB7A transcription factor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 479.