Abstract
BackgroundRecently, extensive studies unveiled that lncRNAs exert critical function in the development and progression of cervical cancer (CC). EGFR-AS1 is a novel lncRNA which has not been well-explored in CC.AimsOur study aimed to research the function and molecular mechanism of EGFR-AS1 in CC cells. qRT-PCR analysis was performed to detect gene expression. Colony formation, EdU, flow cytometry, TUNEL, western blot and transwell assays were performed to assess the effect of EGFR-AS1 on CC cell growth. The regulatory mechanism of EGFR-AS1 was dug out through mechanism experiments.ResultsEGFR-AS1 was notably overexpressed in CC cell lines. Loss-of-functional experiments revealed that EGFR-AS1 promoted CC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and suppressed cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, up-regulation of EGFR-AS1 was attributed to the activation of H3K27 acetylation (H3K27ac). Further, EGFR-AS1 was revealed to function as miR-2355-5p sponge. Additionally, miR-2355-5p was down-regulated in CC cells and ACTN4 was identified as a target gene of miR-2355-5p. Ultimately, overexpressed ACTN4 could reserve the suppressive role of EGFR-AS1 silencing in CC cell growth. Last but not least, EGFR-AS1 facilitated CC cell growth via ACTN4-mediated WNT pathway.ConclusionsH3K27ac-activated EGFR-AS1 sponged miR-2355-5p and promoted CC cell growth through ACTN4-mediated WNT pathway.
Highlights
Extensive studies unveiled that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert critical function in the development and progression of cervical cancer (CC)
Loss-of-functional experiments revealed that EGFRAS1 promoted CC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and suppressed cell apoptosis
EGFR‐AS1 is highly expressed in CC cells and EGFR‐AS1 knockdown hampers CC cell growth To probe the expression pattern of EGFR-AS1 in CC, we detected its expression in CC cell lines (SiHa, CaSki, ME-180 and C4-1) and human normal cervical cell line (Ect1/E6E7) using Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)
Summary
Extensive studies unveiled that lncRNAs exert critical function in the development and progression of cervical cancer (CC). As a common malignant gynecologic cancer, cervical cancer (CC) is considered as the major cause of mortality associated with cancers among female population [1]. Therapeutic approaches, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have been improved in recent years; the long-term survival rate of CC patients is still unsatisfied with a high rate of recurrence, Recently, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been identified as novel biomarkers of diagnosis or underlying targets of therapy in diverse cancers [3]. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a subtype of ncRNAs, was limited to encode proteins and longer than 200 nucleotides in length [4] They have been reported to be expressed aberrantly and played the pivotal role in biological courses. Li and Wang Biology Direct (2022) 17:3
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call