GINS complex subunit 2 (GINS2), a member of the GINS complex, is involved in DNA replication. GINS2 is upregulated in a variety of aggressive
tumors. However, its role in
cervical cancer carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated. We investigated the clinical significance of GINS2 in patients with early-stage
cervical cancer and its biological functions in
cervical cancer progression. GINS2 expression was analyzed in
cervical cancer cell lines and in 8 matched
cervical cancer samples at the
mRNA and
protein levels using real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. GINS2
protein expression in 155 paraffin-embedded
cervical cancer specimens was validated using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate its clinicopathological significance.
Short hairpin RNA interference, anchorage-independent growth ability, colony formation assay, wound healing ability, Transwell assays and western blotting were used to determine the effects of GINS2 on the aggressive phenotype of
cervical cancer cells. There was obvious upregulation of GINS2 in the
cervical cancer cell lines and
tumor specimens compared to that in the normal cervical tissues. Significant correlations were identified between GINS2 expression and
squamous cell carcinoma antigen (
SCC-Ag; P<0.001), deep stromal invasion (P=0.021), vital status (P<0.001), recurrence (P<0.001) and pelvic
lymph node metastasis (PLNM; P<0.001). Moreover, patients with higher GINS2 expression had shorter overall survival (OS) compared to patients with low GINS2 expression. Multivariate analysis revealed that GINS2 may serve as an independent risk factor of poor prognosis in early-stage
cervical cancer. In addition, GINS2 downregulation markedly suppressed cell proliferation and tumorigenic ability, as well as cell migration and invasion. Our findings suggest that GINS2 is a novel
indicator of PLNM and a valuable prognostic
biomarker in early-stage
cervical cancer, and subsequently is a valuable molecular target for
cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment.