Bit1 Regulates Cell Migration and Survival in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Increasing evidence has shown that Bcl-2 inhibitor of transcription 1 (Bit1) involves a variety of biological processes in the process of tumor development and progression. We hypothesized that Bit1 would be overexpressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); therefore, we examined Bit1 gene expression and protein production, as well as explored the effect of elevated Bit1 levels on OSCC cells.

We investigated the use of quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry analysis for Bit1 messenger RNA and protein levels. We used 75 OSCC specimens, 25 tumor-adjacent dysplasia specimens, and 25 normal oral tissue samples that matched OSCC specimens in this study. We also transfected Bit1 complementary DNA into human oral cancer cells (Tca8113) to further investigate the potential role of Bit1 in OSCC.

We found that Bit1 levels in OSCC tissues were significantly higher than those in tumor-adjacent dysplasia specimens and normal oral tissue (P < .05). We also confirmed that Bit1 overexpression in the cytosol of Tca8113 cells induced apoptosis.

Our findings suggest Bit1 overexpression may contribute to oral cancer cell survival and dissemination. In the future, Bit1 may be an important diagnostic and therapeutic target.