Transcriptional Repression of SP1 by FOXA3 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration

© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

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Abstract

Objectives: Transcriptional Repression of SP1 by FOXA3 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration. Methods: Using overexpression and RNAi (RNAi) techniques, the expression levels of SP1 and FOXA3 in pancreatic cancer cells were adjusted, respectively. Cell proliferation and migration abilities were assessed by CCK - 8 proliferation assay and wound healing assay. The regulatory relationship between SP1 and FOXA3 expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Results: Functional assays showed that knockdown of SP1 significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells, indicating an oncogenic role of SP1 in pancreatic cancer. Mechanistic studies further demonstrated that overexpression of FOXA3 markedly downregulated the protein expression level of SP1. Conclusion: By transcriptionally suppressing SP1 expression, FOXA3 prevents the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer and attenuates SP1- mediated promotion of tumor cell proliferation and migration. Targeting the FOXA3/SP1 regulatory axis may offer a novel therapeutic approach for pancreatic cancer treatment.

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