MicroRNA-545 targets ZEB2 to inhibit the development of non-small cell lung cancer by inactivating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Current and future perspectives on the regulation and functions of miR-545 in cancer development

Micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are a highly conserved class of single-stranded non-coding RNAs. Within the miR-545/374a cluster, miR-545 resides in the intron of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) FTX on Xq13.2. The precursor form, pre-miR-545, is cleaved to generate two mature miRNAs, miR-545-3p and miR-545-5p. Remarkably, these two miRNAs exhibit distinct aberrant expression patterns in different cancers; however, their expression in colorectal cancer remains controversial. Notably, miR-545-3p is affected by 15 circular RNAs (circRNAs) and 10 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and it targets 27 protein-coding genes (PCGs) that participate in the regulation of four signaling pathways. In contrast, miR-545-5p is regulated by one circRNA and five lncRNAs, it targets six PCGs and contributes to the regulation of one signaling pathway. Both miR-545-3p and miR-545-5p affect crucial cellular behaviors, including cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and migration. Although low miR-545-3p expression is associated with poor prognosis in three cancer types, studies on miR-545-5p are yet to be reported. miR-545-3p operates within a diverse range of regulatory networks, thereby augmenting the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Conversely, miR-545-5p enhances immunotherapy efficacy by inhibiting T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) expression. In summary, miR-545 holds immense potential as a cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. The aberrant expression and regulatory mechanisms of miR-545 in cancer warrant further investigation.

Genome-wide Detection of Chimeric Transcripts in Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

Lung cancer remains the main culprit in cancer-related mortality worldwide. Transcript fusions play a critical role in the initiation and progression of multiple cancers. Treatment approaches based on specific targeting of discovered driver events, such as mutations in EGFR, and fusions in NTRK, ROS1, and ALK genes led to profound improvements in clinical outcomes. The formation of chimeric proteins due to genomic rearrangements or at the post-transcriptional level is widespread and plays a critical role in tumor initiation and progression. Yet, the fusion landscape of lung cancer remains underexplored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used the JAFFA pipeline to discover transcript fusions in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The set of detected fusions was further analyzed to identify recurrent events, genes with multiple partners and fusions with high predicted oncogenic potential. Finally, we used a generalized linear model (GLM) to establish statistical associations between fusion occurrences and clinicopathological variables. RNA sequencing was used to discover and characterize transcript fusions in 270 NSCLC samples selected from the Glans-Look specimen repository. The samples were obtained during the early stages of disease prior to the initiation of chemo- or radiotherapy.

RESULTS

We identified a set of 792 fusions where 751 were novel, and 33 were recurrent. Four of the 33 recurrent fusions were significantly associated with clinicopathological variables. Several of the fusion partners were represented by well-established oncogenes ERBB4, BRAF, FGFR2, and MET.

CONCLUSION

The data presented in this study allow researchers to identify, select, and validate promising candidates for targeted clinical interventions.

Mechanism of miR-760 Reversing Lung Cancer Immune Escape by Downregulating IDO1 and Eliminating Regulatory T Cells Based on Mathematical Biology

In cancer biology, mathematical models have become indispensable. They are useful for gaining a mechanistic grasp of cancer's dynamic processes. In cancer research, mathematical modelling approaches are becoming more common. The complexity of cancer is well suited to quantitative approaches as it provides challenges and opportunities for new developments (Altrock et al., 2015). Background. MicroRNA-760 (miR-760), as an early discovered tumor suppressor gene, is poorly expressed in lung cancer (LC). Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), as an important regulator of T cell function, is active in immune tolerance. We discovered that miR-760 has a targeted relationship with IDO1, but the regulatory mechanism between miR-760 and IDO1 is still unclear. Method. The miR-760 and IDO1 levels in NSCLC were tested via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). Cell growth was tested by CCK8, and NSCLC cell migration and invasion were analyzed through Transwell analysis. The binding conditions and target gene of miR-451 in NSCLC cells were determined via double luciferase reporter gene. The CD8+ T and CD4+ T cell ratio in CD45+cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Results. qRT-PCR revealed that miR-760 was low-expressed and IDO2 was highly expressed in LC. miR-760 mimics suppressed cell growth, invasiveness, and migration. We also observed that miR-760 could downregulate the IDO1 protein level. Significantly, we revealed that miR-760 could inhibit CD8+ T cell apoptosis by controlling IDO1 enzyme function. Conclusion. Our findings show that miR-760 inhibits CD8+ T cell responses in LC through regulating IDO1, laying the groundwork for the development of novel vaccination therapies for the treatment of LC.

Role of lncRNA FAM83H antisense RNA1 (FAM83H-AS1) in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer by regulating the miR-545-3p/heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase (HS6ST2) axis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators of cancer pathogenesis and are potentially useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker tools. FAM83H antisense RNA1 (FAM83H-AS1) has been reported to be a vital regulator of different cancers; however, little attention has been paid to its significance in lung cancer. Non-tumorigenic lung cell line BEAS-2B and adenocarcinoma lung cancer cell lines NCI-H1299 and HCC827 were used in the present study. In addition, RNA immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), and luciferase reporter assays were used to dissect the role of FAM83H-AS1 in lung cancer progression. The results revealed that FAM83H-AS1 is highly expressed in lung cancer tissues, and its knockdown inhibits lung cancer cell invasion and proliferation reducing tumor growth in vivo. Besides, we found that FAM83H-AS1 targets miR-545-3p, and a negative correlation exists between their expression in lung cancer tissues. Simultaneously, miR-545-3p negatively regulates heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase (HS6ST2). Moreover, inhibition of miR-545-3p promoted HS6ST2 protein expression and lung cancer cell invasion. FAM83H-AS1 favors non-small cell lung cancer by targeting the miR-545-3p/HS6ST2 axis, supporting the possibility of developing FAM83H-AS1 as a target for NSCLC intervention.

LncRNA NR2F2-AS1 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition of non-small cell lung cancer by modulating BVR/ATF-2 pathway via regulating miR-545-5p/c-Met axis

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one type of the most common cancers, which results in the major death worldwide. This study focuses on the understanding of the molecular mechanism of lncRNA NR2F2-AS1 and its regulation on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the development of NSCLC. Expressions of lncRNA NR2F2-AS1, miR-545-5p, c-Met, biliverdin reductase (BVR), ATF-2 and EMT-related markers in NSCLC tissues and cells were measured by western blotting and RT-qPCR assays. The impact of lncRNA NR2F2-AS1 and miR-545-5p on the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT were analyzed by CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays. The interactions among lncRNA NR2F2-AS1, miR-545-5p and c-Met predicted by bioinformatic analysis were evaluated through dual luciferase reporter assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). After generating tumor xenografts, immunohistochemistry was utilized to measure the expression of Ki-67 and EMT-related proteins in vivo. Our results showed that lncRNA NR2F2-AS1, c-Met, BVR and ATF-2 were overexpressed while miR-545-5p was silenced in NSCLC tissues and cells. Silencing of lncRNA NR2F2-AS1 or upregulating miR-545-5p significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process. The EMT process could be inhibited by suppressing c-Met/BVR/ATF-2 axis. The tumor xenograft experiments demonstrated that the tumor growth and EMT process were significantly inhibited by silencing lncRNA NR2F2-AS1 or overexpression of miR-545-5p in vivo. LncRNA NR2F2-AS1 promoted the NSCLC development through suppressing miR-545-5p to activate EMT process through c-Met/BVR/ATF-2 axis. Our study indicated that lncRNA NR2F2-AS1 and miR-545-5p could be used as potential therapeutic targets to improve NSCLC treatment.

Role of ZEB family members in proliferation, metastasis and chemoresistance of prostate cancer cells: Revealing signaling networks

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. A variety of strategies including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy are applied for PCa treatment. PCa cells are responsive towards therapy at early stages, but they can obtain resistance in the advanced stage. Furthermore, their migratory ability is high in advanced stages. It seems that genetic and epigenetic factors play an important in this case. Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB) is a family of transcription with two key members including ZEB1 and ZEB2. ZEB family members are known due to their involvement in promoting cancer metastasis via EMT induction. Recent studies have shown their role in cancer proliferation and inducing therapy resistance. In the current review, we focus on revealing role of ZEB1 and ZEB2 in PCa. ZEB family members that are able to significantly promote proliferation and viability of cancer cells. ZEB1 and ZEB2 enhance migration and invasion of PCa cells via EMT induction. Overexpression of ZEB1 and ZEB2 is associated with poor prognosis of PCa. ZEB1 and ZEB2 upregulation occurs during PCa progression and can provide therapy resistance to cancer cells. PRMT1, Smad2, and non-coding RNAs can function as upstream mediators of the ZEB family. Besides, Bax, Bcl-2, MRP1, N-cadherin and E-cadherin can be considered as downstream targets of ZEB family in PCa.

Blocking circ_0014130 suppressed drug resistance and malignant behaviors of docetaxel resistance-acquired NSCLC cells via regulating miR-545-3p-YAP1 axis

Recent evidences have claimed that circular RNAs are deregulated in docetaxel (DTX) resistance in malignant tumors, including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hsa_circ_0014130 (circ_0014130) is a new biomarker in NSCLC. However, its role in DTX-resistant NSCLC remained to be annotated. In this study, real-time PCR was used to measure expression of circ_0014130, and circ_0014130 was upregulated in NSCLC tumors and DTX-resistant NSCLC cells (NCI-H1299/DTX and A549/DTX). MTT assay analyzed the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of DTX, and it was lowered by circ_0014130 interference in DTX-resistant NSCLC cells. Moreover, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, transwell assays, and xenograft tumor model revealed that silencing circ_0014130 facilitated apoptosis rate of DTX-resistant NSCLC cells, suppressed the colony formation, migration and invasion, and retarded xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation confirmed that circ_0014130 was one competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miRNA (miR)-545-3p, and circ_0014130 modulated expression of yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), a target gene for miR-545-3p. YAP1 upregulation and miR-545-3p downregulation were allied with circ_0014130 upregulation in NSCLC tumors and DTX-resistant NSCLC cells. Functionally, downregulating miR-545-3p could abate the effects of circ_0014130 knockdown in DTX-resistant NSCLC cells in vitro, whereas its overexpression exerted similar effects of circ_0014130 knockdown. Either, restoring YAP1 partially reversed miR-545-3p effects in DTX-resistant NSCLC cells. Collectively, there might be a novel circ_0014130-miR-545-3p-YAP1 ceRNA pathway in regulation of chemoresistance and malignant behaviors of DTX-resistant NSCLC cells, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for DTX resistance.

Long Noncoding RNA LINC01410 Suppresses Tumorigenesis and Enhances Radiosensitivity in Neuroblastoma Cells Through Regulating miR-545-3p/HK2 Axis

Background

Abnormal expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was often involved in tumorigenesis and radiosensitivity of various cancers. The aim of this study was to explore the biological function and regulatory mechanism of lncRNA long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1410 (LINC01410) in tumorigenesis and radiosensitivity of neuroblastoma (NB).

Methods

The expression of LINC01410, microRNA-329-3p (miR-545-3p) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Methylthiazolyldiphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, colony formation assay and transwell assay were utilized to detect cell viability, colony formation and cell invasion abilities. Glucose consumption or lactate production was measured by glucose assay kit or lactate assay kit, respectively. The interaction between miR-545-3p and LINC01410 or HK2 was predicted by starBase v2.0 and verified by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of HK2. The mice xenograft model was established to investigate the role of LINC01410 in vivo.

Results

LINC01410 and HK2 were highly expressed while miR-545-3p was lowly expressed in NB tissues and cells. LINC01410 knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis by repressing cell proliferation and invasion, and increased the radiosensitivity via inhibiting colony formation rates and glycolysis. LINC01410 knockdown also suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, miR-545-3p could bind to LINC01410 and its downregulation reversed the effects of LINC01410 knockdown on tumorigenesis and radiosensitivity. Additionally, HK2 was a direct target of miR-545-3p and its overexpression attenuated the effects of miR-545-3p restoration on suppression of tumorigenesis and promotion of radiosensitivity. Besides, LINC01410 functioned as a molecular sponge of miR-545-3p to regulate HK2 expression.

Conclusion

LINC01410 interference inhibited tumorigenesis and increased radiosensitivity via regulating miR-545-3p/HK2 axis, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for NB.

Circ-ZFR Promotes Progression of Bladder Cancer by Upregulating WNT5A Via Sponging miR-545 and miR-1270

Background

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers all over the world. CircZFR is a circular RNA and has been implicated in tumor generation and invasion. However, the exact role of circZFR in the development of bladder cancer (BCa) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the function of circZFR in BCa, and further to probe into the association between circ-ZFR, miR-545/miR-1270 and WNT5A.

Methods

The expression of circZFR in BCa was quantified by qRT-PCR and was positively correlated with the prognosis of BCa patients. Next, the stable knockdown of circZFR BCa cell lines was established and the resulting capacities of proliferation, migration and invasion were measured. The association of circZFR with miR-1270/miR-545 was predicted by circinteractome prediction, and was confirmed by luciferase assay as well as RNA pull down assay. Furthermore, miRNA inhibitors, WNT5A overexpression and Pearson correlation analysis were used to examine the relationship between circZFR, miR-1270/miR-545 and WNT5A.

Results

The expression of CircZFR was up-regulated both in BCa tissues and in BCa cell lines, and was positively correlated with patient survival rates. Blocking of circZFR's expression by RNA inhibitors suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of BCa cells both in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, overexpression of target miRNA supported that circZFR directly interact with miR-545 and miR-1270. Moreover, we demonstrated that circZFR promotes the progression of BCa by upregulating WNT5A's expression via sponging miR-545 and miR-1270.

Conclusions

CircZFR promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of BCa cells by upregulating WNT5A signaling pathway via sponging miR-545 and miR-1270. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of circZFR in BCa progression, and more important, a novel target for BCa clinical treatment.

Hsa_circ_0002162 has a critical role in malignant progression of tongue squamous cell carcinoma through targeting miR-33a-5p

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of hsa_circ_0002162 on regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion, and investigate its potential target microRNA (miRNA) in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Hsa_circ_0002162 expression was detected in human TSCC cell lines and human oral keratinocytes (HOK) cell line. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and candidate target miRNA expressions were detected in hsa_circ_0002162 knockdown-treated CAL-27 cells and hsa_circ_0002162 overexpression-treated SCC-9 cells. In the rescue experiment, miR-33a-5p knockdown plasmid was transfected into hsa_circ_0002162 knockdown-treated CAL-27 cells, while miR-33a-5p overexpression plasmid was transfected into hsa_circ_0002162 overexpression-treated SCC-9 cells. Subsequently, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were detected, and then luciferase reporter assay was performed. Hsa_circ_0002162 expression was increased in human TSCC cell lines SCC-9, CAL-27, HSC-4, and SCC-25 compared with HOK. In CAL-27 cells, hsa_circ_0002162 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and invasion and promoted apoptosis. In SCC-9 cells, hsa_circ_0002162 overexpression enhanced cell proliferation and invasion and suppressed apoptosis. Furthermore, a negative regulation of hsa_circ_0002162 on miR-33a-5p (but not miR-302b-5p and miR-545-5p) was observed. In the rescue experiment, miR-33a-5p knockdown increased cell proliferation and invasion, and decreased apoptosis in hsa_circ_0002162 knockdown-treated CAL-27 cells, whereas miR-33a-5p overexpression decreased cell proliferation and invasion, but increased apoptosis in hsa_circ_0002162 overexpression-treated SCC-9 cells. The luciferase reporter assay showed the direct binding of hsa_circ_0002162 to miR-33a-5p. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0002162 had an important role in malignant progression of TSCC through targeting miR-33a-5p.

Crosstalk of long non-coding RNAs and EMT: Searching the missing pieces of an incomplete puzzle for lung cancer therapy

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is considered to be the first place among the cancer-related deaths worldwide and demands novel strategies in the treatment of this life-threatening disorder. The aim of this review is to explore regulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION

LncRNAs can be considered as potential factors for targeting in cancer therapy, since they regulate a bunch of biological processes, e.g. cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The abnormal expression of lncRNAs occurs in different cancer cells. On the other hand, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical mechanism participating in migration and metastasis of cancer cells.

METHOD

Different databases including Googlescholar, Pubmed and Sciencedirect were used for collecting articles using keywords such as "LncRNA", "EMT", and "Lung cancer".

RESULT

There are tumor-suppressing lncRNAs that can suppress EMT and metastasis of lung cancer cells. Expression of such lncRNAs undergoes down-regulation in lung cancer progression and restoring their expression is of importance in suppressing lung cancer migration. There are tumor-promoting lncRNAs triggering EMT in lung cancer and enhancing their migration.

CONCLUSION

LncRNAs are potential regulators of EMT in lung cancer, and targeting them, both pharmacologically and genetically, can be of importance in controlling migration of lung cancer cells.

circRNA hsa_circ_0018414 inhibits the progression of LUAD by sponging miR-6807-3p and upregulating DKK1

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a subtype of lung cancer with a high incidence and mortality all over the world. In recent years, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been verified to be a novel subtype of noncoding RNAs that exert vital functions in various cancers. Our research was designed to investigate the role of circ_0018414 in LUAD. We first observed that circ_0018414 was downregulated in LUAD tissues and cells. Also, low expression of circ_0018414 predicted unfavorable prognosis of LUAD patients. Then, upregulation of circ_0018414 repressed cell proliferation and stemness, while promoting cell apoptosis, in LUAD. Moreover, circ_0018414 overexpression enhanced the expression of its host gene, dickkopf WNT signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (DKK1), therefore inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Additionally, circ_0018414 could sponge miR-6807-3p to protect DKK1 mRNA from miR-6807-3p-induced silencing, leading to DKK1 upregulation in LUAD cells. Finally, rescue assays proved that circ_0018414 inhibited the progression of LUAD via the miR-6807-3p/DKK1 axis-inactivated Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The findings in our work indicated circ_0018414 as a tumor inhibitor in LUAD, which might provide a new perspective for LUAD treatment.

Diagnostic value of microRNA-25 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in Chinese population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown that microRNA-25 (miR-25) plays a key role in the occurrence and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Many studies have shown that there is a significant increment of miR-25 in circulating blood of patients with NSCLC. The meta-analysis aims to explore diagnostic value of miR-25 in NSCLC in Chinese population.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of science, Excerpta Medica Database, China national knowledge infrastructure and China Wanfang database were searched to collect studies upon correlation between miR-25 and diagnosis of the patients with NSCLC until April 2020. Combined sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and area under receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated by Stata 15.0 software. Literature assessment was conducted according to quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies, and documents with scores above or equal to 11 were included in this meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Six studies were included, including 480 cases with NSCLC and 451 healthy controls. The combined sensitivity (0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69∼0.80), specificity (0.81, 95% CI: 0.76∼0.86), positive likelihood ratio (4.04, 95% CI: 3.14∼5.20), negative likelihood ratio (0.31, 95% CI: 0.25∼0.37), diagnostic odds ratio (13.09, 95% CI: 9.37∼18.29) and area under curve (0.85, 95% CI: 0.82∼0.88) indicated that miR-25 had desirable diagnostic accuracy for NSCLC.

CONCLUSION

MiR-25 can be applied in diagnosis of NSCLC and has potential of becoming a biomarker for detection of patients with early NSCLC in Chinese population.

MicroRNAs and Their Influence on the ZEB Family: Mechanistic Aspects and Therapeutic Applications in Cancer Therapy

Molecular signaling pathways involved in cancer have been intensively studied due to their crucial role in cancer cell growth and dissemination. Among them, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox-1 (ZEB1) and -2 (ZEB2) are molecules that play vital roles in signaling pathways to ensure the survival of tumor cells, particularly through enhancing cell proliferation, promoting cell migration and invasion, and triggering drug resistance. Importantly, ZEB proteins are regulated by microRNAs (miRs). In this review, we demonstrate the impact that miRs have on cancer therapy, through their targeting of ZEB proteins. MiRs are able to act as onco-suppressor factors and inhibit the malignancy of tumor cells through ZEB1/2 down-regulation. This can lead to an inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mechanism, therefore reducing metastasis. Additionally, miRs are able to inhibit ZEB1/2-mediated drug resistance and immunosuppression. Additionally, we explore the upstream modulators of miRs such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), as these regulators can influence the inhibitory effect of miRs on ZEB proteins and cancer progression.

Circ_0072083 interference enhances growth-inhibiting effects of cisplatin in non-small-cell lung cancer cells via miR-545-3p/CBLL1 axis

Background

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the common cancers in the world. Circular RNA 0072083 (circ_0072083, circZFR) has been reported to be associated with the progression of NSCLC. In this study, we intended to explore the role and the potential mechanism of circ_0072083 in NSCLC.

Methods

Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of circ_0072083, its matching linear RNA (zinc finger RNA binding protein (ZFR)) and microRNA-545-3p (miR-545-3p) in NSCLC cells. The ability of colony formation in NSCLC cells was detected by colony formation assay. The apoptosis and cell cycle were measured by flow cytometry. The metastasis was determined by transwell migration and invasion assays. The protein expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin and Cbl proto-oncogene like 1 (CBLL1) was examined by western blot assay. The interaction between miR-545-3p and circ_0072083 or CBLL1 was predicted by starBase or Targetscan software. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were applied to validate these interactions. Nude mice bearing tumors were used to confirm the role of circ_0072083 and cisplatin (DDP) in vivo.

Results

The level of circ_0072083 was higher in NSCLC tissues and cells relative to that in adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal lung cells. The transfection of si-circ_0072083 inhibited colony formation, cell cycle and metastasis while promoted the apoptosis of NSCLC cells stimulated by DDP. MiR-545-3p was a direct functional target of circ_0072083 in NSCLC cells. CBLL1 could bind to miR-545-3p in NSCLC cells. Circ_0072083 promoted the progression of NSCLC induced by DDP through sponging miR-545-3p and enhancing the enrichment of CBLL1 in vivo and in vitro.

Conclusion

Circ_0072083 depletion contributed to DDP-triggered inhibition of NSCLC tumor through miR-545-3p/CBLL1 axis.