Long noncoding RNA opa-interacting protein 5 antisense transcript 1 promotes proliferation and invasion through elevating integrin α6 expression by sponging miR-143-3p in cervical cancer.

An increasing number of studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cervical cancer (CC) progression. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA opa-interacting protein 5 antisense transcript 1 (OIP5-AS1) involved in the CC remain unclear. In the current study, we found that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 was upregulated in CC tissues and cell lines. High OIP5-AS1 expression was significantly correlated with advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor overall survival of patients with CC. Using in vitro function assays, we showed that OIP5-AS1 suppression significantly decreased the proliferation, colony formation, and invasion ability of CC cells. Moreover, we revealed that OIP5-AS1 could act as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-143-3p to regulate the ITGA6 expression. Rescue assays showed that miR-143-3p inhibitors or ITGA6 overexpression could reverse the inhibitory effects of OIP5-AS1 suppression on the proliferation and invasion in CC cells. In addition, OIP5-AS1 suppression reduced tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrated that OIP5-AS1 promoted proliferation and invasion of CC cells via increasing the ITGA6 expression by sponging miR-143-3p, which might be an effective therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with CC.