Circular RNA Facilitates The Growth and Metastasis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Sponging .

OBJECTIVE

There is growing evidence showing that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are crucial regulators in modulating the biological behavior of tumors. This work is aimed to probe the role of in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to elucidate its mechanism of action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this experimental study, the differentially expressed circRNAs in NSCLC were screened using the GEO database (GSE158695). , and expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis and Western blot. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and transwell assays. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to clarify the association between the and .

RESULTS

was shown to be up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. The up-regulation of is closely associated with advanced clinical stage of cancer, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. knockdown impeded the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells and enhanced their apoptosis. Mechanistically, was demonstrated to up-regulate MMP2 expression via decoying and to facilitate the malignant biological behaviors of NSCLC cells.

CONCLUSION

This work reveals that is implicated in NSCLC cell growth and metastasis through the modulation of miR-326/miR-330-5p/MMP2, providing novel insights into the role of circRNAs in NSCLC progression.