The up-regulation of TANK-binding kinase 1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the function of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumorigenesis and progression, and to clarify that whether TBK1 could be a biomarker for early diagnosis or even therapeutic target of HNSCC. Methods: We first analyzed the expression level of TBK1 mRNA in HNSCC using GEO datasets, and then the results were verified by tissue microarray (TMA). Finally, we suppressed TBK1 gene expression in FaDu and Cal-27 cells to investigate the cellular mechanism. Results: Results of GEO datasets and TMA showed that the expression level of TBK1 in HNSCC was higher than normal tissue. In FaDu/siTBK1 and Cal-27/siTBK1 cells, TBK1 protein expression was down regulated significantly and the proliferation rate decreased with apoptosis increased. Conclusions: TBK1 gene expression was important for HNSCC cell proliferation and might offer additional help for the early diagnosis of HNSCC and it might even be a meaningful therapeutic target, however the mechanisms and applicability still need further investigation.