Long non-coding RNA C5orf66-AS1 promotes cell proliferation in cervical cancer by targeting miR-637/RING1 axis

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in the development of human malignant tumours. Recently, an increasing number of lncRNAs have been identified and investigated in a variety of tumours. However, the expression pattern and biological function of lncRNAs in cervical cancer still remain largely unexplored. Differentially expressed lncRNAs in cervical cancer and para-carcinoma tissues were identified by screening using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and candidate lncRNAs were verified by quantitative real-time PCR. We found that lncRNAC5orf66-AS1 was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cells. Over-expression of C5orf66-AS1 promoted the proliferation of cervical cancer cells, while downregulation of C5orf66-AS1 promoted the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. C5orf66-AS1 was identified as the sponge of miR-637 by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and luciferase reporter assays. Exogenous miR-637 and RING1 interventions could reverse the proliferation ability mediated by C5orf66-AS1 in cervical cancer cells. In vivo experiments also confirmed that downregulation of C5orf66-AS1 inhibited the tumour growth. LncRNA C5orf66-AS1, as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA), regulated the effect of RING1 on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of cervical cancer cells through adsorbing miR-637. Taken together, our findings provided a new theoretical and experimental basis for investigating the pathogenesis and exploring effective therapeutic targets for cervical cancer.