Abstract: Objective To analyze the effect of transcription factor YY1 on the migration of FaDu cells in hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods Total RNA was extracted from hypopharyngeal and paracancerous normal tissues, and the expression level of YY1 was analyzed by RT- PCR. The transcription factor YY1 siRNA was transfected into the hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells, and the transfection efficiency was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. The effect of YY1 knockdown on the migration ability of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells was detected by Transwell experiment. Results Compared with normal adjacent tissues, YY1 was significantly upregulated in hypopharyngeal carcinoma (P<0.05). YY1 siRNA was able to reduce the relative expression of YY1 both on mRNA and protein levels significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the migration ability of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells was significantly reduced after YY1 knockdown (P<0.05). Conclusions YY1 is a potential oncogene in hypopharyngeal carcinoma and promotes the migration of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells in hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Key words: YY1, hypopharyngeal cancer, cell migration