Circ_0110940 Exerts an Antiapoptotic and Pro-Proliferative Effect in Gastric Cancer Cells via the miR-1178-3p/SLC38A6 Axis

Xiaonan Miao; Haiou Zou; Lijuan Pan; Jing Cheng; Youshan Wu; Rui Chen; Yong Su; Hongwei Du

doi:10.1155/2022/3494057

Circ_0110940 Exerts an Antiapoptotic and Pro-Proliferative Effect in Gastric Cancer Cells via the miR-1178-3p/SLC38A6 Axis

J Oncol. 2022 Jun 30:2022:3494057. doi: 10.1155/2022/3494057. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xiaonan Miao¹, Haiou Zou¹, Lijuan Pan¹, Jing Cheng¹, Youshan Wu¹, Rui Chen¹, Yong Su², Hongwei Du³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, Lianyungang Oriental Hospital, The Affiliated Lianyungang Oriental Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, The Affiliated Lianyungang Oriental Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang 222000, Jiangsu, China.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu, China.
³ Department of Gastroenterology Medicine, Lanzhou Second People's Hospital, Lanzhou 730046, Gansu, China.

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are essential regulators in human cancers, including gastric cancer, by the miRNA/mRNA axis. A previous study identified the upregulation of circ_0110940 in human gastric cancer tissues. The present study performed in vitro assays to reveal the functions of circ_0110940 and its downstream miRNA/mRNA axis in gastric cancer cells. Traditional proliferation and apoptosis assays including colony formation, EdU staining, and Annexin V-PI staining assays were conducted. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to assess the binding between miR-1178-3p and circ_0110940 or SLC38A. We found the significant upregulation of circ_0110940 in human gastric cancer cells AGS and MKN45. Circ_0110940 was a stable circRNA and exerted an antiproliferative and proapoptotic effect in AGS and MKN45. Circ_0110940 binded with miR-1178-3p, which further targeted SLC38A6 3'UTR. Circ_0110940 degraded miR-1178-3p, and miR-1178-3p degraded SLC38A6. Thus, circ_0110940 has a positive effect on SLC38A6 expression. Furthermore, SLC38A6 rescued the effects of circ_0110940 knockdown on gastric cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. In conclusion, circ_0110940 exerted an antiapoptotic and pro-proliferative effect in gastric cancer cells via the miR-1178-3p/SLC38A6 axis, which may provide basis for the targeted therapy of gastric cancer.