RNA sequencing (RNA-SEQ) of ER-a36 knockdown by siRNA in cervical cancer cells

Estrogen is proven to promote the malignant behaviors of many cancers via its receptors. Estrogen receptor alfa 36(ER-a36) is a newly identified isoform of estrogen receptor alfa (ERa), which is different from the 66 kDa estrogen receptor alpha (ER-a66).However, the role of ER-a36 in regulating the effects of estrogen and its potential impact on human cervical cancer is poorly understood. In this study, we found that ER-a36 was over-expressed in cervical cancer tissues and elevated ER-a36 expression was associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer patients. High expression of ER-a36 promotes the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of cervical cancer cells mediated by estrogen, while silencing ER-a36 had the opposite effects. Further research showed that high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) identified as a down-target of ER-a36 in cervical cancer cells. The oncogenic effect of ER-a36 was attenuated after HMGA2 knockdown. In conclusion, high expression of ER-a36 was correlated with a poor prognosis and metastasis in cervical cancer by regulating HMGA2.ER-a36 might serve as a prognostic biomarker and a target for cervical cancer treatment. Overall design: The assay was performed on three biological triplicates as well as three experimental triplictes of ER-a36 knockdown and control cells.