WHSC1 acts as a prognostic indicator and functions as an oncogene in cervical cancer

Purpose: Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 (WHSC1) is an epigenetic modifier, considered to play a driving role in oncogenesis. However, very little is known about the roles of WHSC1 and its prognostic impacts in cervical cancer. This study aimed to investigate the role of WHSC1 in the prognosis of cervical cancer and explore the effect of WHSC1 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells and angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: We evaluated the expression levels of WHSC1 in cervical cancer samples and relevant cell lines by immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative PCR, and Western blot. In vitro, Cell Counting Kit-8 and transwell assays were used to investigate the viability and migration of C33A cells, and a tube formation assay was used to study the effect of WHSC1 on angiogenesis in HUVECs. Results: WHSC1 was overexpressed in cervical cancer tissues and cells, and correlated with the FIGO stage and differentiation. WHSC1 knockdown inhibited proliferation, suppressed migration and invasion in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-overexpressing C33A cells, and inhibited angiogenesis in HUVECs. Conclusion: WHSC1 may be a poor prognostic indicator of cervical cancer and a potential novel therapeutic target for the same. WHSC1 may participate in the regulation of cervical cancer progression through the eNOS signaling pathway.