宫颈癌是妇科最常见恶性肿瘤之一，HPV感染及与肿瘤生长相关的基因在宫颈癌进展中有重要作用。我们的前期研究首次通过RNA-Seq技术，检测宫颈鳞癌与癌旁组织的差异基因，经验证后，发现视黄醇代谢相关基因LRAT和RDH12 在宫颈鳞癌组织和细胞中的表达明显低于癌旁组织和正常宫颈鳞状上皮细胞。在过表达LRAT、RDH12基因的宫颈鳞癌细胞中，MAPK/NF-kB 信号通路的蛋白表达发生变化，提示LRAT、RDH12基因可能通过p38 MAPK/NF-kB信号通路调控宫颈鳞癌进展。本课题拟进一步验证LRAT、RDH12基因与p38 MAPK/NF-kB信号通路对宫颈鳞癌细胞增殖、凋亡、侵袭、肿瘤生长和转移的影响，分析LRAT/RDH12与宫颈鳞癌的临床病理因素及预后的关系，旨在阐明视黄醇代谢相关基因LRAT/RDH12基因在宫颈鳞癌进展中的作用及机制，为宫颈癌的防治提供新的理论支持和分子指标。

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancer in females, HPV infection and genes related in tumor growth are critical for the progress of cervical cancer. Our studies have screened the differential expressed genes between squamous cervical carcinoma and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues by RNA-Seq technology for the first time. qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunochemistry were used to validate the expression of differential expressed genes. We discovered that the expression of the retinol metabolism related genes (LRAT and RDH12) were lower in squamous cervical carcinoma tissues and cells than that of matched adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal cervical squamous epithelial cells. In our preliminary experiments, it has been found that in the human squamous cervical cancer cells with overexpression of LRAT or RDH12, the expression of proteins involved in MAPK/NF-kB signal pathway changed accordingly. In this study, we are trying to examine the effect of LRAT, RDH12 genes on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, as well as tumor growth and metastasis of cervical cancer through p38 MAPK/NF-kB signal pathway in cultured cells and nude mouse model, and analyse the relationship between LRAT/RDH12 genes and the clinical pathological factors of cervical squamous carcinoma. This project aims to clarify the effect and mechanism of retinol metabolism related genes LRAT/RDH12 in the progress of squamous cervical cancer and provide important theoretical supports and molecular targets for squamous cervical carcinoma.