Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
Cervical cancer is a highly prevalent malignant tumor among women, with an increasing incidence.
LINC00963
is aberrantly expressed as a cancer-promoting long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in a variety of cancers, but its role in cervical cancer is unclear. This study revealed the expression characteristics, clinical significance, and cancer promotion mechanism of
LINC00963
in cervical cancer and provided new ideas for targeted therapy.
Methods
The expression of
LINC00963
,
miR-612
, and
FOXM1
was detected using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and the clinical significance of
LINC00963
was analyzed using the chi-square (χ
2
) test and Cox regression analysis. The interaction between
LINC00963
and
miR-612
was validated through dual-luciferase assays, and the changes in cervical cancer cell phenotypes were assessed using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell experiments.
Results
The expression of
LINC00963
in cervical cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and it was significantly associated with tumor recurrence, staging, and lymph node metastasis. Upregulation of
LINC00963
can predict poor prognosis in patients with cervical cancer, and its expression is negatively correlated with the expression of
miR-612
. Silencing
LINC00963
significantly inhibited the growth, migration, and invasion of HeLa cells, while inhibiting
miR-612
weakened this effect.
LINC00963
promotes the expression of
FOXM1
by directly suppressing
miR-612
.
Conclusions
LINC00963
is highly expressed in cervical cancer and promotes tumor progression. It regulates cancer cell functions by modulating the
miR-612
/
FOXM1
pathway, suggesting that the
LINC00963
/
miR-612
/
FOXM1
axis could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for cervical cancer.