HOTAIR/Sp1/miR-199a critically regulates cancer stemness and malignant progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is a well-characterized oncogene in multiple human cancers, but not in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). In this study, we focused on investigating the potential role of HOTAIR in stemness of CSCC. By measuring its expression using RT-qPCR in CSCC vs. normal tissues, as well as in CSCC cell lines A431 or SCC13, A431- or SCC13-derived CSCC stem cells (CSCSCs), and normal skin fibroblasts (HSFs), we detected higher expression of HOTAIR in CSCC than in normal tissues, in recurrent than in non-recurrent CSCC tissues, in CSCCs and CSCSCs than in HSFs, and particularly, in CSCSCs than in CSCCs. Kaplan–Meier analysis suggested that higher expression of HOTAIR was positively correlated with worse overall survival of CSCC patients. Functional assays on colony formation, EdU incorporation, sphere formation, western blot on stem-cell biomarkers, and in vivo models showed that HOTAIR was essential in maintaining multiple stem cell phenotypes of CSCSCs in vitro and in vivo xenograft growth as well as metastasis. Mechanistically, HOTAIR directly interacted with and up-regulated Sp1. Sp1 then induced DNMT1-mediated promoter methylation and direct transcriptional repression of miR-199a-5p. Targeting Sp1 or DNMT1 further boosted the in vivo anti-tumor and anti-metastasis activities of targeting HOTAIR. In conclusion, HOTAIR, by up-regulating Sp1 and targeting miR-199a, promotes stemness and progression of CSCC. Targeting HOTAIR, Sp1 or the underlying mechanisms may thus benefit CSCC treatment.