Objective To investigate the effect of overexpression of SPANX family member C (SPANXC) on the proliferation and invasion of Tu686 cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods Tu686 cells were divided into the overepression (OE)-SPANXC group, NC group and Con group, and transfected with corresponding reagents, respectively. Specifically, the OE-SPANXC group was transfected with GV358-SPANXC plasmid, the NC group with empty GV358 vector, and the Con group with an equal volume of culture medium only, with the total transfection duration of 48 h. Cells were collected after transfection. The relative expression level of SPANXC mRNA in Tu686 cells was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Western blotting was performed to determine the relative protein expression levels of SPANXC, cellular myelocytomatosis oncogene homolog (c-Myc), G1/S-specific cyclin D1 (Cyclin D1) and β-catenin. The proliferation and invasion abilities of Tu686 cells were assessed via the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) cell proliferation assay and Transwell invasion assay, respectively. Results The relative expression levels of SPANXC mRNA and protein in Tu686 cells of the OE-SPANXC group were significantly higher than those in the Con and NC groups (P<0.05), indicating that the Tu686 cell line with SPANXC overexpression was successfully established. The number of invasive cells in the OE-SPANXC group was significantly greater than that in the Con and NC groups (P<0.05). At 5 days of culture, the optical density values of cells in the OE-SPANXC group were significantly higher than those in the Con and NC groups as detected by the CCK-8 assay (P<0.05). The relative protein expression levels of c-Myc, Cyclin D1 and β-catenin in the OE-SPANXC group were significantly higher than those in the Con and NC groups (P<0.05). Conclusion SPANXC overexpression may enhance the proliferation and invasion abilities of Tu686 cells by upregulating the expression of oncogenic proteins including c-Myc, Cyclin D1 and β-catenin., 

无