Aberrant expression profile of translationally controlled tumor protein and tumor-suppressive microRNAs in cervical cancer.

Purpose: Invasive and recurrent cervical cancer accounts for major mortality among women. The activity of biomarkers in cervical cancer varies with different pathological stages. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the expression of 2 biomarkers in cervical cancer and their possible contribution to novel therapeutic strategies.

Methods: In this study, we assessed the expression of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The expression pattern of miR-143 was also evaluated using Northern blot analysis.

Results: HeLa cells and mice were used for tumor induction. A group of mice injected with HeLa cells and incubated for 6 weeks developed initial tumor, while a different group of mice injected with HeLa cells and incubated for about 10 weeks developed advanced stage cervical cancer. Histological analysis revealed higher proliferation of cells resulting in complex forms of tumor in advanced cervical cancer, whereas cell clustering was not found to be initiated in the initial stage. The results of immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis indicated less variation in the expression of TCTP, but significant difference was observed in advanced stage. Expression of Bax apoptotic protein was higher in the initial stage of the tumor than in the advanced cervical cancer. Similar pattern of marginal downregulation of miR-143 was observed between control and initial tumor stages, but striking reduction in miR-143 expression was observed in advanced stages of tumor development.

Conclusion: The results of this study reveal a new aspect of altered expression of biomarkers in different pathological stages that could help identify novel therapeutic strategies for cervical cancer treatment.