Downregulation of miR-599 predicts poor outcome in cervical cancer patients and promotes the progression of cervical cancer

Abstract

ObjectiveCervical cancer remains a leading cause of gynecological cancer-related death. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern of miR-599 and its prognostic significance in cervical cancer. Materials and methodsThe RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the expression levels of miR-599 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The association between miR-599 expression and clinical characteristics of cervical cancer patients was analyzed using the χ2 test. The Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model were used to explore the prognostic significance of miR-599. Then, CCK-8 assays, transwell migration, and invasion assays were used to assess the effects of miR-599 on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells, respectively. ResultsmiR-599 expression was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cells compared with non-cancerous tissues and HaCaT cells, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that miR-599 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis and FIGO stage. The miR-599 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Functionally, overexpression of miR-599 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells, while downregulation of miR-599 had opposite effects. ConclusionmiR-599 acts as a tumor suppressor in cervical cancer that inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells, suggesting that miR-599 may be a potential prognostic biomarker and novel targeted strategy for cervical cancer.