Hypomethylation-associated Sox11 upregulation promotes oncogenesis via the PI3K/AKT pathway in OLP-associated OSCC

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a particularly prevalent oral disorder with the potential to progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). SRY-box transcription factor 11 (Sox11) has been reported to serve as a prognostic marker for various cancers. However, the role and mechanism of Sox11 in OLP-related OSCC are unknown. Our results indicated that Sox11 was highly expressed, and that Sox11 promoter methylation was significantly reduced in OLP-associated OSCC tissues. High Sox11 expression and Sox11 promoter hypomethylation indicate a poor patient prognosis. According to in vivo and in vitro experiments, the knockdown of Sox11 inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration while driving its apoptotic death in OSSC cells; Sox11 overexpression exerted the opposite effect as Sox11 knockdown. Mechanistically, knockdown of Sox11 inhibited PI3K/AKT and glycolysis pathway, and overexpression of Sox11 enhanced the PI3K/AKT and glycolysis pathways in OSCC cells. In addition, we demonstrated that Sox11 overexpression accelerated the progression of OSCC, at least in part by promoting PI3K/AKT pathway activation. In conclusion, our data indicated that the DNA hypomethylation-associated upregulation of Sox11 could promote oncogenic transformation via the PI3K/AKT pathway in OLP-associated OSCC. Therefore, Sox11 might be a reliable biomarker for predicting the progression of precancerous oral tissues.