Previous studies have identified the regulatory roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in human cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown. This study screens the expression profile of circRNAs in HCC and identifies circVAMP3 as a significantly downregulated circRNA in HCC tissues. HCC patients with low circVAMP3 expression present poor prognosis. circVAMP3 negatively regulates the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo by driving phase separation of CAPRIN1 and promoting stress granule formation in cells, which can downregulate the protein level of Myc proto-oncogene protein by inhibiting c-Myc translation. Furthermore, circVAMP3 is widely expressed in many human tissues and is downregulated in related cancers. Therefore, circVAMP3 is a potential prognostic indicator for HCC and may serve as a therapeutic target for HCC treatment.
Keywords: CAPRIN1; circVAMP3; hepatocellular carcinoma; liquid-liquid phase separation.
© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.