Small RNA sequencing identifies tsRNA-05020 as a potential regulator of cervical cancer progression.

Background/aim: Cervical cancer (CC) is a malignant gynecologic tumor. Small RNAs derived from tRNAs (tsRNAs) have been reported to play regulatory roles in tumor progression and suppression. However, the functional role of tsRNAs in CC remains largely unclear. Materials and methods: Small RNA sequencing was performed on normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and CC clinical samples to identify differentially expressed tsRNAs (DEtsRNAs). qRT-PCR was used to validate the selected DEtsRNAs. The effects of tsRNA-05020 on HeLa cell proliferation, apoptosis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition were assessed. Results: Compared with the normal group, 215 tsRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in CIN tissues, of which 196 were upregulated and 19 were downregulated. A total of 184 DEtsRNAs were identified between CC and CIN tissues, including 81 upregulated and 103 downregulated in CC. In total, three candidate DEtsRNAs were validated, among which tsRNA-05020 exhibited the largest fold change and was significantly downregulated in CC compared with CIN. Target gene network analysis identified 278 putative target mRNAs of tsRNA-05020 in CC. Overexpression of tsRNA-05020 significantly inhibited HeLa cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of tsRNA-05020 significantly reduced vimentin expression and increased ZO-1 expression. Conclusion: This study identifies a previously uncharacterized role of tsRNA-05020 in CC progression, expands the current understanding of tsRNA-associated regulatory networks, and suggests that tsRNA-05020 may serve as a potential molecular regulator in CC.