Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most common cancers in the oral cavity. Notch signaling is frequently dysregulated in cancer. However, the role of Notch2 in TSCC is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of abnormal expression of Notch2 in TSCC. The expression of Notch2 was tested in 47 pairs of tissues from tongue cancer and normal samples by using immunohistochemical staining. Tongue cancer cells were transfected with siRNA or plasmid. The proliferation of the cells was tested by the CCK8 assay and colony formation assay. Subcutaneous tumor model was established to observe tumor growth. Transwell assay was used to detect the changes of cell migration and invasion ability. A humanized anti-Notch2 antibody was used to TSCC cells. We found that Notch2 was upregulated in tongue carcinoma tissues. Knocking down the expression of Notch2 by siRNA in the TSCC cell lines decreased proliferation ability both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, migration and invasion abilities were inhibited by knockdown of Notch2 in the TSCC cells. However, overexpression of Notch2 increased tongue cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration. The humanized anti-Notch2 antibody inhibited TSCC cell growth. The results indicated that Notch2 is an oncogene in tongue squamous cell carcinoma and may become the target of a new approach for treating TSCC.

舌鳞状细胞癌（TSCC）是口腔中最常见的癌症之一。Notch信号在癌症中经常失调。但是，Notch2在TSCC中的作用尚不清楚。这项研究的目的是调查Notch2在TSCC中异常表达的影响。通过免疫组织化学染色，在舌癌和正常样品的47对组织中测试了Notch2的表达。用siRNA或质粒转染舌癌细胞。通过CCK8测定和集落形成测定来测试细胞的增殖。建立皮下肿瘤模型以观察肿瘤生长。用Transwell法检测细胞迁移和侵袭能力的变化。将人源化抗Notch2抗体用于TSCC细胞。我们发现Notch2在舌癌组织中上调。敲低TSCC细胞系中siRNA引起的Notch2的表达会降低其在体内和体外的增殖能力。另外，TSCC细胞中Notch2的敲低抑制了迁移和侵袭能力。但是，Notch2的过表达增加了舌癌细胞的增殖，侵袭和迁移。人源化的抗Notch2抗体抑制TSCC细胞生长。结果表明Notch2是舌鳞状细胞癌的癌基因，可能成为治疗TSCC的新方法的靶标。入侵和迁移。人源化的抗Notch2抗体抑制TSCC细胞生长。结果表明Notch2是舌鳞状细胞癌的癌基因，可能成为治疗TSCC的新方法的靶标。入侵和迁移。人源化的抗Notch2抗体抑制TSCC细胞生长。结果表明Notch2是舌鳞状细胞癌的癌基因，可能成为治疗TSCC的新方法的靶标。