Dysregulated
circRNAs have potential roles in the progression of various
cancer types, including
cervical cancer (CaCx). The carcinogenic roles of
circRNA Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate gene-1 (circWHSC1) are described in the development of diverse
cancers. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and the underlying role of circWHSC1 in CaCx. The expression of circWHSC1 was detected by real-time PCR. After the suppression of circWHSC1 expression, the changes in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis capacities were detected by
CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, Transwell assays, flow cytometry, and the determination of apoptosis-related
proteins. The interplay among circWHSC1, miR-532-3p, and latent
transforming growth factor-β
binding protein 2 (LTBP2) was confirmed by
luciferase reporter and biotinylated
RNA pull-down assays. A nude mice xenograft
tumor model was established to evaluate the anti-tumorigenic role of circWHSC1 silencing in vivo. CircWHSC1 was overexpressed in CaCx tissues and cell lines and its high expression was inversely associated with the survival rate of patients with CaCx. CircWHSC1 silencing was capable of suppressing the proliferation,
metastasis, and invasion of
tumor cells and inducing apoptosis. Investigation to its molecular mechanism revealed that circWHSC1 functioned as a
competitive endogenous RNA (
ceRNA), mediating LTBP2 expression by targeting miR-532-3p. The in vivo experiments further confirmed the inhibition of
tumor growth and
metastasis by circWHSC1 knockdown. The circWHSC1-mediated miR-532-3p/LTBP2 signaling axis might be a novel therapeutic target for CaCx.