DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A inhibits TP53AIP1 expression and promotes cervical cancer development and metastasis

Cervical cancer (CC) patients have a poor prognosis and a low 1-year survival rate due to recurrence or pelvic metastasis. The GSE9750 dataset was analyzed to identify hub genes in CC. CCK-8, colony formation assay, EdU, TUNEL, Transwell assays, and western blot analysis for apoptosis-associated markers were conducted to examine CC cell malignant phenotype after different lentiviral vector treatments. Dual-luciferase assay, ChIP, and MSP were used for regulatory assays. P53-regulated apoptosis-inducing protein 1 (TP53AIP1) was lowly expressed in CC tissues and cell lines, and TP53AIP1 overexpression repressed proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis of CC cells by activating the p53 signaling. DNMT3A bound to the TP53AIP1 promoter and transcriptionally repressed TP53AIP1 expression. DNA-methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) silencing inhibited CC development and lung metastasis in vivo, but further TP53AIP1 knockdown reversed this phenomenon by disrupting p53-mediated apoptosis. In summary, DNMT3A transcriptionally repressed TP53AIP1 expression to promote CC progression and metastasis.