LncRNA FAL1 Upregulates SOX4 by Downregulating miR-449a to Promote the Migration and Invasion of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC) Cells

This study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA FAT1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). We found that FAT1 was upregulated in CSCC tissues. The expression of FAT1 was not affected by clinical stages. High levels of FAT1 predicted poor survival. The expression of miR-449a was inversely correlated with the expression of FAT1. SOX4 mRNA expression was positively correlated with the expression of FAT1 in CSCC tissues. FAT1 over-expression led to an upregulated SOX4 expression and downregulated miR-449a expression. MiR-449a over-expression failed to affect FAT1 expression but downregulated SOX4 expression. FAT1 and SOX4 over-expression led to increased rates of CSCC cell migration and invasion, miR-449a over-expression led to decreased rates of CSCC cell migration and invasion and attenuated the effects of SOX4 over-expression. Therefore, FAL1 can upregulate SOX4 by downregulating miR-449a to promote the migration and invasion of CSCC cells