FOXP1 drives osteosarcoma development by repressing P21 and RB transcription downstream of P53

Osteosarcoma has a poor prognosis, and the poor understanding of the genetic drivers of osteosarcoma hinders further improvement in therapeutic approaches. Transcription factor forkhead box P1 (FOXP1) is a crucial modulator in skeletal development and aging. Here, we determined the role and regulatory mechanisms of FOXP1 in osteosarcoma. Higher FOXP1 expression correlated with malignancy in both osteosarcoma cell lines and clinical biopsies. FOXP1 overexpression and knockdown in osteosarcoma cell lines revealed that FOXP1 promoted proliferation, tumor sphere formation, migration and invasion, and inhibited anoikis. Mechanistically, FOXP1 acted as a repressor of P21 and RB (retinoblastoma protein) transcription, and directly interacted with the tumor suppressor p53 to inhibit its activity. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (ERK/JNK) signaling and c-JUN/c-FOS transcription factors were found to be upstream activators of FOXP1. Moreover, FOXP1 silencing via lentivirus or adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated delivery of shRNA suppressed osteosarcoma development and progression in cell-derived and patient-derived xenograft animal models. Taken together, we demonstrate that FOXP1, which is transactivated by ERK/JNK-c-JUN/c-FOS, drives osteosarcoma development by regulating the p53-P21/RB signaling cascade, suggesting that FOXP1 is a potential target for osteosarcoma therapy.