Identification of circular RNA hsa_circ_0044556 and its effect on the progression of colorectal cancer

Liang Jing; Junhui Wu; Xiaocheng Tang; Min Ma; Fei Long; Buning Tian; Changwei Lin

doi:10.1186/s12935-020-01523-1

Identification of circular RNA hsa_circ_0044556 and its effect on the progression of colorectal cancer

Cancer Cell Int. 2020 Sep 1:20:427. doi: 10.1186/s12935-020-01523-1. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Liang Jing¹, Junhui Wu¹, Xiaocheng Tang¹, Min Ma¹, Fei Long¹, Buning Tian¹, Changwei Lin¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan China.

Abstract

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of noncoding RNAs. Increasing evidence indicates that circRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, the role of circRNA hsa_circ_0044556 in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Methods: First, we searched for differentially expressed circRNAs using a circRNA microarray in paired CRC and adjacent normal tissues. The circRNA hsa_circ_0044556 was screened out from the existing CRC circRNA microarray in the Gene Expression Omnibus database and our microarray. The clinical significance of hsa_circ_0044556 expression level in CRC patients was then investigated. Finally, the functions of the targets of this circRNA were determined in CRC cell lines.

Results: Hsa_circ_0044556 was highly expressed in CRC patients and was positively correlated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis. In CRC cell lines, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells were inhibited by knocking down hsa_circ_0044556 expression.

Conclusion: Hsa_circ_0044556 promoted the progression of CRC. It is possible that hsa_circ_0044556 will become a novel biomarker or therapeutic target for CRC.

Keywords: Biomarker; Circular RNA; Colorectal cancer; Noncoding RNA; hsa_circ_0044556.