Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of lncRNA MAFG-AS1 and miR-143-3p on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells and its potential mechanism. Methods  After MAFG-AS1 and miR-143-3p expression vectors were transfected into Hela cells，qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-143-3p and MAFG-AS1 mRNA in Hela cells； protein expression，cell proli-feration activity and apoptosis were detected by Western blot， MTT assay and flow cytometry， respectively；dual-luciferase reporter gene was used to the interaction between lncRNA MAFG-AS1 and miR-143-3p. Results Compared with adjacent normal tissues，MAFG-AS1 mRNA expression was increased in cervical cancer tissues （0.905±0.115 vs 2.835±0.164，t=43.091，P<0.001），and miR-143-3p expression level was decreased （0.944±0.075 vs  0.382±0.071，t=24.336，P<0.001）. Compared with the normal cervical cell line Ect1/E6E7，the expression of MAFG-AS1 mRNA in Hela cells was significantly increased（P<0.001），and the expression of miR-143-3p was significantly decreased（P<0.001）. Down-regulation of MAFG-AS1 and miR-143-3p overexpression inhibited the proliferation of Hela cells and promoted apoptosis， inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and Cyclin D1 proteins，and promoted the expression of Bax，Caspase-3，p21，and p27 proteins. MAFG-AS1 targeted to regulate the expression of miR-143-3p. Inhibition of miR-143-3p expression reversed the effect of MAFG-AS1 on inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis Hela cells. Conclusions lncRNA MAFG-AS1 can inhibit the proliferation of cervical cancer cells and promote their apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to miR-143-3p，which will provide new targets for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Key words: Cervical cancer, lncRNA MAFG-AS1, miR-143-3p, Proliferation, Apoptosis