Knockdown of PAF1 reduces cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion via retarding FLOT2-mediated MEK/ERK1/2 pathway

Cervical cancer (CC) is a very usual reproductive malignant tumor in women. RNA polymerase II-associated factor 1 (PAF1) and flotillin-2 (FLOT2) both have been discovered to key participators in cancers’ progression. However, the effects of PAF1/FLOT2 axis on CC development have not been probed. In this study, PAF1 and FLOT2 exhibited higher expression, and silencing of PAF1 down-regulated FLOT2 expression in CC. In addition, the regulatory effects of PAF1 suppression on CC progression were reversed after FLOT2 overexpression. Next, inhibition of PAF1 slowed the tumor growth in vivo through modulating FLOT2. Besides, down-regulation of PAF1 reduced FLOT2 expression to retard the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway. In conclusion, knockdown of PAF1 suppressed CC progression via retarding FLOT2-mediated MEK/ERK1/2 pathway. Our findings illustrated that the PAF1/FLOT2 axis may be useful bio-targets for CC treatment.