Abstract: Objective To detect the effects of ANO1 overexpression on the biological behaviors of human laryngeal squamous
cell carcinoma Hep-2 cells. Methods A Hep-2 cell line stably overexpressing ANO1 were examined with flow cytometry, soft
agar assay, wound healing assay, siRNA experiments, and chloride channel block with DIDS to observe the effect of ANO1
overexpression on the growth, migration and invasion of the cells. Results Flow cytometry revealed a comparable cell
percentage in G0/G1 phase between ANO1-overexpressing cells and the control cells (P>0.05). The two cells showed no
significant difference in soft agar assay (P>0.05), but in wound healing experiments, ANO1-overexpressing cells showed
significantly accelerated migration (P<0.05), whereas siRNA-mediated silencing of ANO1 significantly inhibited the cell
migration (P<0.05). Treatment with DIDS resulted in an effective block of the ANO1 chloride channel activity and obviously
decreased the migration speed of Hep-2 cells. Conclusion ANO1 overexpression does not significantly affect the proliferation
of cancer cells, but can enhance the migration ability of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, suggesting the value of ANO1
as a new gene therapy target for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.