Therapeutic implications of targeting cancer testis antigen MAGEA1 in cervical cancer

MAGE family member A1 (MAGEA1), a cancer-testis antigen (CTA), is aberrantly expressed in several malignancies such as lung and liver cancers. However, its role in cervical cancer remains to be elucidated. The present study investigated the functional significance and therapeutic potential of MAGEA1 in cervical cancer using lentiviral short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown, a series of functional assays, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and nude mouse xenograft models. It was found that MAGEA1 was upregulated in cervical cancer cells and its knockdown substantially suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and in vivo tumor growth. RNA-seq analysis further revealed that MAGEA1 silencing altered pathways related to apoptosis, DNA repair, and metabolism. Moreover, MAGEA1 knockdown enhanced chemosensitivity, indicating a potential role in mediating drug resistance. Collectively, the findings identified MAGEA1 as a key oncogenic driver in cervical cancer and highlighted its promise as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target, offering novel avenues for personalized treatment strategies in cervical cancer.