3217

HOXB7

homeobox B7;HOXB7;homeobox B7

homeo box 2C|homeo box B7|homeo box c1 protein|homeobox protein HHO.C1|homeobox protein Hox-2C|homeobox protein Hox-B7

17q21.3

protein-coding

Dysregulation of homeobox B7 (HOXB7), a member of the homeobox genes family, was suggested to play a role in regulation of tumorigenesis and metastases of some cancers. However, the functions of HOXB7 in association with lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) have not been investigated. The correlation between the level of HOXB7 expression and cancer progression in patients is not known. In this study, through analysis of 75 LAC samples and their corresponding normal lung epithelium tissues immunohistochemistry (IHC), we demonstrate that HOXB7 was overexpressed in LAC specimens compared to their paired normal lung epithelium tissues. Increased expression of HOXB7 was associated with poor clinical outcomes, correlating significantly with a short survival time in patients who had LAC. Moreover, HOXB7 expression level was correlated with the tumor status (P = 0.028), nodal status (P = 0.012) and tumor stage (P = 0.029) in lung adenocarcinoma. Silencing HOXB7 inhibited cell growth and metastases in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that HOXB7 promotes LAC progression by enhancing proliferation and metastasis. The increased expression of HOXB7 in LAC is a potential prognostic indicator for patients, and HOXB7 could be a novel target for treatment of LAC patients.

BACKGROUND: The homeobox gene HOXB7 is overexpressed across a range of cancers and promotes tumorigenesis through varying effects on proliferation, survival, invasion, and angiogenesis. Although published microarray data suggest HOXB7 is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), its function in pancreatic cancer has not been studied. METHODS: HOXB7 message and protein levels were examined in PDAC cell lines and patient samples, as well as in normal pancreas. HOXB7 protein expression in patient tumors was determined by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathologic factors and survival. The impact of HOXB7 on cell proliferation, growth, and invasion was assessed by knockdown and overexpression in PDAC cell lines. Candidate genes whose expression levels were altered following HOXB7 knockdown were determined by microarray analysis. RESULTS: HOXB7 message and protein levels were significantly elevated in PDAC cell lines and patient tumor samples relative to normal pancreas. Evaluation of a tissue microarray of 145 resected PDACs found high HOXB7 protein expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = .034) and an independent predictor of worse overall survival in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 1.56, 95% confidence interval = 1.02-2.39). HOXB7 knockdown or overexpression in PDAC cell lines resulted in decreased or increased invasion, respectively, without influencing proliferation or cell viability. CONCLUSIONS: HOXB7 is frequently overexpressed in PDAC, specifically promotes invasive phenotype, and is associated with lymph node metastasis and worse survival outcome. HOXB7 and its downstream targets may represent novel clinical biomarkers or targets of therapy for inhibiting the invasive and metastatic capacity of PDAC.