Fig. 7: SFTA1P and PTBP1 promote the malignant process of cervical cancer cells by regulating TPM4.

A Western blot analysis of TPM4 in cervical cancer cells with knockdown of SFTA1P and TPM4. B Migration of cervical cancer cells transfected with SFTA1P and TPM4 siRNAs. C Western blot analysis of TPM4 in cervical cancer cells with knockdown of PTBP1 and TPM4. D Migration of cervical cancer cells transfected with PTBP1 and TPM4 siRNAs. E Proliferation of cervical cancer cells transfected with PTBP1 and TPM4 siRNAs, assessed by CCK8 assays. F Western blot analysis of PTBP1 in sense and antisense TPM4 pull-down fractions from CaSki cells. G RIP assays with anti-PTBP1 or IgG in CaSki cells transfected with SFTA1P siRNA or NC. The relative fold enrichment of TPM4 between PTBP1 and IgG RIP fractions was measured by qRT-PCR. H CaSki and C-4 I cells transfected with SFTA1P or PTBP1 siRNA were treated with actinomycin D (5 μg/ml) at various time points. RNA was extracted at different time points and TPM4 mRNA was analyzed by qPCR and normalized to GAPDH. I Proposed model of the SFTA1P-PTBP1-TPM4 axis regulating the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells. SFTA1P forms a complex with PTBP1, which can promote the malignant progression of cervical cancer by facilitating the binding of PTBP1 to TPM4 mRNA and thus increasing its degradation. Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001.