The circular RNA hsa_circ_0001394 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by targeting the miR-527/UBE2A axis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recognized as significant participants in the progression of different cancers; however, the detailed mechanisms of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, hsa_circ_0001394 was identified by RNA-seq analysis, and hsa_circ_0001394 was determined to be highly expressed in HCC specimens and cell lines. Patients with high expression of hsa_circ_0001394 tended to exhibit poor survival. Increased hsa_circ_0001394 expression in plasma was closely correlated with clinicopathological features including elevated vascular invasion and an advanced TNM stage, as indicated by alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) analysis. Hsa_circ_0001394 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, whereas knockdown of hsa_circ_0001394 inhibited HCC tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, mechanistic studies showed that miR-527 negatively interacted with hsa_circ_0001394. Furthermore, UBE2A was revealed to serve as a target of miR-527. Overall, the present study suggested that hsa_circ_0001394 may function as a sponge to promote HCC progression by regulating the miR-527/UBE2A pathway. Thus, hsa_circ_0001394 may become a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target in HCC treatment.