Down-regulation of lncRNA LUADT1 suppresses cervical cancer cell growth by sequestering microRNA-1207-5p: LUADT1/miR-1207-5p/SEPT9 in cervical cancer

Emerging evidence has proved the essential roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cervical carcinoma (CC). LncRNA lung adenocarcinoma-associated transcript 1 (LUADT1) is overexpressed and plays an oncogenic role in various cancers; however, the function and clinical values of LUADT1 in CC remain unclear. In this study we found that LUADT1 is highly expressed in CC tissues and cells. Up-regulated LUADT1 is significantly correlated with the more aggressive status and poorer survival of CC patients. In vitro studies show that LUADT1 depletion suppresses CC proliferation, and leads to cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, the in vivo xenograft mouse assay demonstrates that LUADT1 knockdown remarkably suppresses tumor growth. Mechanistically, LUADT1 binds to miR-1207-5p and inhibits miR-1207-5p expression in CC cells. Septin 9 (SEPT9) is identified as a miR-1207-5p target which is negatively regulated by LUADT1. Overexpression of SEPT9 abrogates the suppressed proliferation of CC cells induced by LUADT1 knockdown. These results demonstrate that LUADT1 sponges miR-1207-5p and consequently modulates SEPT9 expression in CC. Our study suggests the possible application of LUADT1 as a prognostic and therapeutic target to inhibit CC.