P4HA1Promotes Cell Migration and Colonization in Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study aimed to identify key molecules associated with the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HpSCC) by combining in silico and in vitro analyses.Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using the Gene Expression Omnibus database. For DEGs, we performed functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction network analyses to identify potential biological functions and hub genes. Functional analysis of HpSCC cell lines verified the critical roles of the hub genes.DEGs were associated with the extracellular matrix. Among the hub genes, high expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 1 (P4HA1) was significantly associated with shorter survival. In addition, P4HA1 knockdown inhibited cell migration and colonization. Suppression of cell proliferation was demonstrated using P4HA1-selective inhibitors.P4HA1 may be a useful therapeutic target for the treatment of HpSCC.