DNA methyltransferase 1/miR-342-3p/Forkhead box M1 signaling axis promotes self-renewal in cervical cancer stem-like cells in vitro and nude mice models

Figure 5 Overexpression of DNA methyltransferase 1 reversed the inhibitory effects of microRNA-342 on cervical cancer stem cell-like cell self-renewal in HeLa cells. A and B: Restoration of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) could reverse its mRNA level inhibition (A) and upregulation of microRNA (miR)-342-3p expression (B); C-E: Downregulation of forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) protein expression with α-tubulin as a loading control led to attenuation of cervical cancer stem cell-like cell self-renewal characteristics, including sphere formation efficiency and colony formation efficiency (D and E); F and G: CD133 and CD49f protein expressions with α-tubulin as a loading control and SRY-box transcription factor 2 (SOX2) (G) and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) mRNA expression caused by miR-342-3p mimics in HeLa cells. ^aP < 0.05 vs HeLa cells; ^bP < 0.05 vs HeLa cells transfected with miR-342-3p mimic alone; ^cP < 0.05 vs HeLa cells transfected with DNA methyltransferase 1 cDNA alone (n = 3).