Circular RNA hsa_circ_0043280 inhibits cervical cancer tumor growth and metastasis via miR-203a-3p/PAQR3 axis
Chunyu Zhang, Pan Liu, Jiaming Huang, Yuandong Liao, Chaoyun Pan, Junxiu Liu, Qiqiao Du, Tianyu Liu, Chunliang Shang, Shiyin Ooi, Run Chen, Meng Xia, Hongye Jiang, Manman Xu, Qiaojian Zou, Yijia Zhou, Hua Huang, Yuwen Pan, Yuan Li, Wei Wang, Shuzhong Yao
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to act as key regulators in a variety of malignancies. However, the role of circRNAs in cervical cancer (CCa) remains largely unknown. Herein, we demonstrated that a circRNA derived from the TADA2A gene (hsa_circ_0043280) was significantly downregulated in CCa and that this reduction in expression was correlated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that hsa_circ_0043280 functions as a tumor suppressor to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in CCa. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0043280 competitively sponges miR-203a-3p and prevents miR-203a-3p from reducing the levels of PAQR3. Collectively, our results demonstrate that hsa_circ_0043280 plays a pivotal role in the development and metastasis of CCa, thus suggesting that hsa_circ_0043280 has significant potential as a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for CCa.