Abstract
The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), RP11-480I12.5 is one of the most dysregulated lncRNAs, which is believed to contribute to the progression of cervical carcinoma (CC); however, the exact function of RP11-480I12.5 in human CC remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the function and underlying molecular mechanism of RP11-480I12.5 in CC. First, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was implemented in order to detect differences in the expression of RP11-480I12.5 between normal and CC tissues. The present study used in vitro analysis to establish RP11-480I12.5 stable knockdown and overexpressing cell lines, in order to investigate the function and potential molecular mechanism of RP11-480I12.5 in the progression of CC. RP11-480I12.5 was upregulated in CC tissue compared with normal tissue. Furthermore, RP11-480I12.5 was associated with clinical stage, tumor size and lymph node metastasis. RP11-480I12.5 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cell lines. Subsequently, the present study investigated the association between RP11-480I12.5 and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. RP11-480I12.5 promoted EMT through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Overall, the results of the present study demonstrate that RP11-480I12.5 promotes cercical cancer cell migration, invasion and EMT through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.