Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Daping Hospital (Army Medical Center), Third Military Medical University (Army medical university), Chongqing 400042, China.
Department of General Surgery, Chongqing Three Goreges Central Hospital, Wanzhou, Chongqing 404000, China.
Gene. 2019 Oct 20;716:144031. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.144031. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of widespread and diverse endogenous RNAs, have been identified as critical regulators of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the specific roles of circRNAs in HCC are largely unknown. In this study, we identified a novel circRNA, circ-IGF1R, in HCC tumour tissues and cell lines. Circ-IGF1R levels were found to be significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared with levels in paired peritumoural tissues. The high expression levels of circ-IGF1R in HCC were associated with tumour size. Moreover, knocking down circ-IGF1R with siRNA significantly attenuated cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. Further investigation revealed that PI3K/AKT signalling pathway activation was involved in the oncogenic functions of circ-IGF1R in HCC. Our study suggests that circ-IGF1R may be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of HCC.
环状 RNA（circRNAs）是一类新型的广泛存在且多样化的内源性 RNA，已被鉴定为多种癌症（包括肝细胞癌，HCC）的关键调控因子。然而，circRNAs 在 HCC 中的具体作用尚不清楚。在这项研究中，我们在 HCC 肿瘤组织和细胞系中鉴定到了一种新型的环状 RNA，circ-IGF1R。与配对的癌旁组织相比，HCC 组织中的 circ-IGF1R 水平显著上调。HCC 中 circ-IGF1R 的高表达水平与肿瘤大小有关。此外，用 siRNA 敲低 circ-IGF1R 可显著抑制细胞增殖，并在体外诱导细胞凋亡和细胞周期停滞。进一步的研究表明，PI3K/AKT 信号通路的激活参与了 circ-IGF1R 在 HCC 中的致癌作用。我们的研究表明，circ-IGF1R 可能是预防和治疗 HCC 的潜在靶点。
