Long non-coding RNA TPT1-AS1 promotes cell growth and metastasis in cervical cancer via acting AS a sponge for miR-324-5p

BACKGROUND: Increasing studies confirmed that abnormal lncRNAs expression play a critical role in cervical cancer (CC) development and progression. LncRNA TPT1-AS1, a novel lncRNA, its role and underlying mechanisms involved in CC remain largely unknown. METHODS: Colony formation, EdU and Transwell assays were used to determine colony formation, proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. The subcutaneous tumor model and tail vein injection lung metastasis model were performed to check tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Luciferase activity and RIP experiment were carried out to determine the interaction between miR-324-5p and TPT1-AS1. RESULTS: We demonstrated for the first time that TPT1-AS1 expression was up-regulated in CC tissues and cell lines. High TPT1-AS1 was significantly correlated with adverse prognostic characteristics and poor survival. TPT1-AS1 overexpression and knockdown experiments revealed that TPT1-AS1 promoted cell colony formation, proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT progression of CC cells in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanism indicated that TPT1-AS1 functioned as an endogenous sponge for miR-324-5p in CC cells. Gain- and loss- experiment confirmed that miR-324-5p inhibited cell colony formation, proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT progression of CC cells, and mediated the biological effects of TPT1-AS1. Further investigations confirmed that SP1 was a direct target of miR-324-5p and mediated the effects of TPT1-AS1 and miR-324-5p in CC. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated for the first time that TPT1-AS1 as an oncogenic lncRNA in CC progression and as a potential target for CC cure. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0846-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.