The chromobox protein homolog 7 (CBX7), one member of the polycomb group family, has been characterized mainly to play a tumor-suppressive role in human malignant neoplasias. Moreover, downregulation of CBX7 is correlated with poor prognosis and aggressiveness in a variety of human cancers. However, the biological functions and role of CBX7 in cervical cancer have not been elucidated. In the present study, we explore whether CBX7 exerts its tumor-suppressive function in cervical cancer. To achieve this goal, molecular approaches were used to upregulate the expression of CBX7 or downregulation of CBX7 in cervical cancer cell lines. We observed that overexpression of CBX7 inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. CBX7 overexpression retarded cell migration and invasion in cervical cancer cells. In line with this, downregulation of CBX7 promoted cell growth and migration as well as invasion in cervical cancer cells. Our findings suggest that CBX7 might be a tumor suppressor and could be a potential target in cervical cancer.

染色体盒蛋白同源物7（CBX7）是多梳子家族的一员，其主要特征是在人类恶性肿瘤中发挥肿瘤抑制作用。此外，CBX7的下调与多种人类癌症的不良预后和侵袭性相关。但是，尚未阐明CBX7在宫颈癌中的生物学功能和作用。在本研究中，我们探索CBX7是否在宫颈癌中发挥其肿瘤抑制功能。为了实现这个目标，分子方法被用于上调宫颈癌细胞系中CBX7的表达或下调CBX7。我们观察到，CBX7的过表达抑制宫颈癌细胞的生长并诱导其凋亡。CBX7的过表达抑制宫颈癌细胞中的细胞迁移和侵袭。与此相符，CBX7的下调促进了宫颈癌细胞的生长和迁移以及侵袭。我们的发现表明，CBX7可能是肿瘤抑制因子，并且可能是宫颈癌的潜在靶标。