CAF-1/p150 promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion and predicts a poor prognosis in patients with cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide that exhibits high morbidity and mortality rates. Thus, the discovery of novel molecules and targets for cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment is critical. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the chromatin assembly factor (CAF)-1 subunit, CAF-1/p150 on cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the CAF-1/p150 expression in cervical cancer tissues and to analyze the association between CAF-1/p150 expression and the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. In addition, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to assess the function of CAF-1/p150 in cervical cancer cells. The results demonstrated that CAF-1/p150 was expressed in both normal and cervical cancer tissues. CAF-1/p150 protein expression was localized in the cell nuclei and was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues. Furthermore, high CAF-1/p150 expression was significantly associated with FIGO stage, local recurrence, distant metastasis and a shorter overall survival time of patients with cervical cancer. CAF-1/p150 knockdown attenuated the anchorage-independent proliferation, migration and invasion of Hela and SiHa cervical cancer cells in vitro. Taken together, the results of the present study confirmed the involvement of CAF-1/p150 in the progression of cervical cancer, and validated its use as a poor prognostic indicator in patients with cervical cancer.