TAT-mediated si-hWAPL inhibits the invasion and metastasis of cervical cancer stem cells

Human wings apart-like (hWAPL) is reported to have an association with cervical cancer. In the present study, the role of hWAPL in cervical cancer stem cells (CCSCs) was evaluated. Cervical tumorspheres were generated from cervical cancer tissues cultured in stem cell medium, and the expression of hWAPL by the tumorspheres was detected using immunohistochemistry. hWAPL expression levels in the tumorspheres were then upregulated using hWAPL adenoviral vectors or downregulated via the TAT-mediated knockdown of hWAPL and the effects on the tumorspheres were evaluated using colony formation, cell invasion and western blotting assays. The results demonstrated that the expression of hWAPL and human papillomavirus (HPV) was associated with the pluripotency of CCSCs, with hWAPL expression decreasing following the differentiation of cervical tumorspheres. Knockdown of hWAPL expression decreased HPV E6 expression and inhibited tumor invasion and colony formation. TAT-mediated knockdown of hWAPL with short interfering RNA significantly reduced tumor growth in nude mice. These results suggest that hWAPL is a marker of CCSC proliferation and is potentially a therapeutic target for cervical carcinoma through the downregulation of HPV E6.