Objective: As a member of the S100 proteins family, the involvement of S100A11 has been suggested in a wide range of biological processes such as cell growth and motility, cell-cycle progression, transcription, differentiation and smooth muscle cell migration. However, the expression of S100A11 and its exact function in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) have not been elucidated.

Methods: The protein and mRNA expression levels of S100A11 were analyzed in primary tumors and matched tumor-adjacent tissues of LSCC by western blotting and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or quantitative real time PCR (Q-RT-PCR), respectively. Cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and wound-healing assays were performed to assess whether the knockdown of S100A11 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) could influence the biological behavior of human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells in vitro.

Results: We found that both protein and mRNA levels of S100A11 were overexpressed in laryngeal tumor tissues when compared to the corresponding noncancerous tissues. Further, it was demonstrated that the expression of S100A11 could induce migration but not proliferation of Hep-2 cells. Additionally, S100A11 altered a series of intracellular events, including the down-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), CD44 and MMP2.

Conclusions: These results highlight the significance of S100A11 in LSCC progression and suggest that the dysregulation of S100A11 might contribute to the metastatic progression of LSCC.