Long noncoding RNA promotes tumorigenesis in cervical cancer by acting as a competing endogenous RNA of microRNA-744 and consequently increasing Bcl-2 expression.

The expression of a long noncoding RNA termed is dysregulated in breast cancer and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and this dysregulation affects various tumor-associated biological processes. To our knowledge, the expression status and detailed roles of in cervical cancer as well as its regulatory mechanisms of action remain unknown. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to measure expression in cervical cancer, investigate the effects of on cervical cancer cells, and identify the mechanism underlying these effects. Herein, was found to be highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. High expression significantly correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, lymph node metastasis, and shorter overall survival among the patients with cervical cancer. Functional assays revealed that interference with expression suppressed cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro; induced apoptosis in vitro; and impeded tumor growth in vivo. In addition, was demonstrated to act as a competing endogenous RNA of microRNA-744 (miR-744) and consequently increase B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2 or BCL2) expression levels in cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, either inhibition of miR-744 or restoration of Bcl-2 expression neutralized the effects of the silencing on the malignant characteristics of cervical cancer cells. Thus, promotes the aggressiveness of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo by upregulating miR-744-Bcl-2 axis output. The -miR-744-Bcl-2 pathway may be involved in cervical cancer pathogenesis and could serve as a novel target for anticancer therapies.