LINC00052 inhibits tumor growth, invasion and metastasis by repressing STAT3 in cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The vital role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression has been identified in numerous studies. In this research, the biological function of lncRNA LINC00052 during the development of cervical cancer was mainly explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS: LINC00052 expression was detected by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in cervical cancer tissue samples and cell lines. Moreover, the correlation between LINC00052 expression level and disease-free survival rate of cervical cancer patients was analyzed. In vitro functions of LINC00052 in cervical cancer cells were evaluated by proliferation assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay. In addition, qRT-PCR and Western blot were utilized to explore the underlying mechanism of LINC00052 in mediating the progression of cervical cancer. RESULTS: LINC00052 expression level was lower in cervical cancer samples than that in adjacent tissues, which was correlated with disease-free survival time. Moreover, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were inhibited through overexpression of LINC00052 in vitro. The mRNA and protein expression of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) was downregulated after overexpressing LINC00052 in cervical cancer cells. The STAT3 expression level was negatively correlated with the expression of LINC00052 in cervical cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00052 could repress metastasis and invasion of cervical cancer cell via suppressing STAT3. LINC00052 might be a novel tumor suppressor in cervical cancer.