Abstract
Dysregulation of long non-coding RNA papillary thyroid carcinoma susceptibility candidate 3 (lncRNA PTCSC3) has been found to correlate with various types of cancers. Quantitative RT-PCR showed a down-regulation of PTCSC3 in cervical cancer tissues compared with normal cervical tissues. The present study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA PTCSC3 in cervical cancer and the underlying mechanisms. PTCSC3 was overexpressed in cervical cancer cell lines C-33A and Hela by transfection with pcDNA3.1-lncRNA PTCSC3 expressing plasmid. Overexpression of lncRNA PTCSC3 inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest, and suppressed cell invasion and migration using CCK8 assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay and wound healing examination, respectively. Western blotting analysis showed that PTCSC3 overexpression decreased the expression of cyclinD1, matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP9), N-cadherin and β-catenin and increased E-cadherin expression. Further, PTCSC3 negatively regulated miR-574-5p expression and dual-luciferase assay verified the binding activity between miR-574-5p and lncRNA PTCSC3. Enforced up-regulation of miR-574-5p abolished the inhibitory effect of lncRNA PTCSC3 on cervical cancer cell proliferation, invasiveness and mobility. Taken together, lncRNA PTCSC3 inhibited cell growth and metastasis via sponging miR-574-5p in cervical cancer. Therefore, we demonstrate the tumour-suppressive function of lncRNA PTCSC3 in cervical cancer and suggest that PTCSC3 is a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer.