H3K27 Acetylation-Activated GLDC Accelerated the Advancement of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Suppressing the p53 Signaling Pathway

Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) has been identified to be dysregulated and plays pivotal roles in various cancers. Besides, studies have suggested that GLDC expression is elevated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and associated with a worse prognosis, but the precise role and molecular mechanism of GLDC in OSCC remain unexplored. The current study first confirmed the high expression of GLDC in OSCC and its correlation with worse survival in patients with OSCC. By knocking down GLDC, it was discovered that the growth and colony formation of OSCC cells, as well as the development of xenograft tumors, were effectively suppressed. In addition, GLDC deficiency inhibited the migration and invasion of OSCC cells in vitro through regulating EMT markers and attenuated lung metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, GLDC was found to affect the activity of the p53 signaling pathway. GLDC depletion retarded the progression of OSCC by activating the p53 signaling pathway. Moreover, p300 co-functioned with TFAP2A to induce acetylation of GLDC, which resulted in the upregulation of GLDC in OSCC. To conclude, acetylation-induced GLDC upregulation facilitated the tumorigenesis and metastasis of OSCC by its inhibition of the activity of the p53 signaling pathway.

GLDC; OSCC; acetylation; p53 signaling pathway.