The circular RNA hsa_circ_0001394 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by targeting the miR-527/UBE2A axis
Yan Yu, Yu Nie, Chun Peng, Fuchen Xing, Saiguang Ji, Hong Liu, Chuandong Zhu
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recognized as significant participants in the progression of different cancers; however, the detailed mechanisms of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, hsa_circ_0001394 was identified by RNA-seq analysis, and hsa_circ_0001394 was determined to be highly expressed in HCC specimens and cell lines. Patients with high expression of hsa_circ_0001394 tended to exhibit poor survival. Increased hsa_circ_0001394 expression in plasma was closely correlated with clinicopathological features including elevated vascular invasion and an advanced TNM stage, as indicated by alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) analysis. Hsa_circ_0001394 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, whereas knockdown of hsa_circ_0001394 inhibited HCC tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, mechanistic studies showed that miR-527 negatively interacted with hsa_circ_0001394. Furthermore, UBE2A was revealed to serve as a target of miR-527. Overall, the present study suggested that hsa_circ_0001394 may function as a sponge to promote HCC progression by regulating the miR-527/UBE2A pathway. Thus, hsa_circ_0001394 may become a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target in HCC treatment.