Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as critical players in tumorigenesis. Previous studies revealed that lncRNA SBF2-AS1 was involved in tumor progression. However, the role and underlying mechanism of SBF2-AS1 in cervical cancer (CC) remain unknown. In the present study, our data showed that SBF2-AS1 expression was significantly increased in CC. High SBF2-AS1 expression was associated with advanced FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis of CC patients. Function assays showed that SBF2-AS1 inhibition significantly reduced CC cells proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we showed that SBF2-AS1 upregulation restrained the activity of miR-361-5p and led to overexpression of FOXM1 in CC cells. Furthermore, we found that miR-361-5p inhibitors could rescue the effects of SBF2-AS1 inhibition on CC cells proliferation. Taken together, we demonstrated that the SBF2-AS1/miR-361-5p/FOXM1 axis might play an important role in CC progression. SBF2-AS1 might serve as a potential therapeutic target for CC treatment.
Keywords: Cervical cancer; FOXM1; lncRNA SBF2-AS1; miR-361-5p.