CircRNA hsa_circ_0070659 predicts poor prognosis and promotes non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression via microRNA-377 (miR-377) / Ras-Associated Binding Protein 3C (RAB3C) pathway

ABSTRACT

A large number of circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in lung cancer and affect the progression and prognosis of lung disease. Herein, this study selected specific circular RNA (circ_0070659) by bioinformatics analysis and aimed to investigate the role of circ_0070659 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The differentially expressed circRNA (hsa_circ_0070659) in NSCLC was screened from public databases (GEO), and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was carried out to identify the circ_0070659 levels in cancer tissues and cells. NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities after circ_0070659 silencing was detected by colony formation assay, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay. Targeted binding between microRNA-377 (miR-377) and circ_0070659 or Ras-Associated Binding Protein 3C (RAB3C) was verified by western blot, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down assay. Our experimental results showed that circ_0070659 levels were largely increased in tumor tissues and cells. Biologically, knockdown of circ_0070659 obviously inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, circ_0070659 promoted RAB3C-mediated proliferation and invasion through sponging miR-377. Furthermore, miR-377 inhibitor reversed the inhibitory ability of circ_0070659 silencing on malignant biological behavior of NSCLC cells. Our study revealed a novel signaling pathway that circ_0070659/miR-377/RAB3C axis regulates tumor progression, and it may become a new therapeutic target for NSCLC.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Circ_0070659
• lung cancer
• miR-377
• RAB3C
• prognosis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

QM designed the study, screened the literature, and drafted the manuscript. YL collected the clinical data and processed statistical data. ZS analyzed and interpreted the data and revised the manuscript. XY designed, supervised the study, and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Ethics approval

All participants were provided with written informed consent at the time of recruitment. And this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Cangzhou Central Hospital (2022-090-01(Y)).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/21655979.2022.2091572

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.