The participation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in carcinogenesis is widely established. Numerous circRNAs with aberrant expression in cervical cancer (CC) are identified by RNA sequencing, whereas the function of these circRNAs remains unclear. We thus aimed to unveil the effects and mechanisms of circ_0042986 in CC. Circ_0042986 with aberrant downregulation in CC was obtained from GSE10286 dataset. qPCR and western blotting were employed for the detection of circ_0042986, miR-582-3p, and paternally expressed 3 (PEG3) expressions. EdU assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay, tube formation assay, and flow cytometry assay were applied for functional analyses. The potential binding site was ensured by dual-luciferase reporter analysis, and their binding relationship was verified by pull-down assay. The transplanted tumor models were constructed for in vivo function verification of circ_0042986. Our findings exposed that the downregulation of circ_0042986 was verified in clinical CC samples. Circ_0042986 overexpression largely attenuated CC cell growth, invasiveness, angiogenesis, and survival. MiR-582-3p was targeted by circ_0042986, and the inhibitory roles of circ_0042986 presence were partly abolished by miR-582-3p enrichment. MiR-582-3p combined with PEG3, and circ_0042986 increased PEG3 expression via decoying miR-582-3p. The interaction between miR-582-3p and PEG3 on CC cell functions was confirmed, evidenced by the reversal effects of PEG3 knockdown on miR-582-3p deficiency-inhibited cancer cell malignant behaviors. Circ_0042986 overexpression also limited tumorigenesis of CC in animal models. In summary, circ_0042986 overexpression decoyed miR-582-3p to increase PEG3 expression, thereby blocking the malignant progression of CC.
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