Abstract: Objetive To investigate the expression of La protein in cervical cancer tissues and explore its role in the occurrence
and progression of cervical cancer. Methods The expression of La protein in cervical cancer and normal cervical tissues was
detected by immunohistochemical staining. RNA interference technology was used to silence La protein expression in HeLa
cells and the changes in cell proliferation, tumor sphere formation and cell cycles were investigated. Results The expression of
La protein was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than in normal cervical tissues (61% vs 9%, P<0.05). Silencing La
protein expression in HeLa cells caused significantly reduced the cell proliferation and lowered the tumor sphere formation
rate from the control level of (17.1±1.92)% to (6.3±0.45)% (P<0.05), resulting also in G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and reduced cyclin
D1 protein expression. Conclusion The RNA binding protein La can promote the development of cervical cancer and may play
a critical role in the carcinogenesis and progression of cervical cancer.