Role of lncRNA TPRG1-AS1 in the development of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and its prognostic value

Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) has a poor prognosis due to persistent HPV infection. LncRNA TPRG1-AS1 is linked to regulating the development of many cancers, so the regulatory mechanism and prognostic value of TPRG1-AS1 in CSCC were explored.

138 patients with cervical cancer were included. TPRG1-AS1 expression and miR-590-3p were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The association between TPRG1-AS1 and clinicopathological features was investigated. Independent prognostic factors of CSCC were analyzed by multifactorial Cox regression. Patient survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier plotter curves. CCK-8 was employed to evaluate the proliferative capacity of the cells. Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of TPRG1-AS1 and miR-590-3p on cell migration and invasion performance, and the target of both was reported by DLR assay.

TPRG1-AS1 levels were ascended in CSCC, and miR-590-3p levels were reduced. TPRG1-AS1 and miR-590-3p target binding and expression correlated negatively. Knockdown of TPRG1-AS1 expression could facilitate high miR-590-3p expression, which reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. TPRG1-AS1 is an independent prognostic factor.

TPRG1-AS1 has potential as a prognostic marker for CSCC. Silencing the expression of TPRG1-AS1 could contribute to the high miR-590-3p expression thereby slowing down the progression of CSCC.