CircRNA circ_POLA2 overexpression suppresses cell apoptosis by downregulating PTEN in glioblastoma.

The oncogenic role of circ_POLA2 has only been explored in lung cancer, whereas the role of which in glioblastoma (GBM) is unclear. Our research explored the involvement of circ_POLA2 in GBM. Circ_POLA2 and phosphatasetensinhomolog (PTEN) mRNA levels in GBM and paired nontumor tissues collected from 58 GBM patients were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Circ_POLA2 and PTEN were overexpressed in GBM cells to study their interaction by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The roles of circ_POLA2 and PTEN in regulating GBM cell apoptosis were explored using cell apoptosis assay. Our data revealed that circ_POLA2 was upregulated and PTEN was downregulated in GBM. PTEN showed an inverse correlation to circ_POLA2 across GBM tissues, In GBM cells, circ_POLA2 overexpression decreased PTEN accumulation, but PTEN overexpression failed to significantly affect circ_POLA2 expression. Moreover, PTEN reduced the inhibitory effects of circ_POLA2 on GBM cell apoptosis. Circ_POLA2 is overexpressed in MCL and might promote GBM cell apoptosis through downregulating PTEN.