Hsa_circ_0051908 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulating the Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Process

• Published in: Analytical cellular pathology (Amsterdam) Vol. 2024; pp. 8645534 - 9
• Main Authors: Wu, Yinbing, Tang, Huafei, Cui, Shuzhong, Liao, Quanxing, Zeng, Lisi, Tu, Yinuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Hindawi 2024; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - genetics; Cadherins - genetics; Cadherins - metabolism; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - genetics; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - metabolism; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement - genetics; Cell Proliferation - genetics; Disease Progression; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Liver Neoplasms - genetics; Liver Neoplasms - metabolism; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Invasiveness; RNA, Circular - genetics; RNA, Circular - metabolism; Vimentin - genetics; Vimentin - metabolism
• ISSN: 2210-7177; 2210-7185
• DOI: 10.1155/2024/8645534

Background/Aims. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are often used for tumor diagnosis and treatment owing to their high stability, high expression abundance, and strong tissue specificity. The role of hsa_circ_0051908, a newly reported circRNA, in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Materials and Methods. Hsa_circ_0051908 expression was determined using RT-qPCR. HCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration were assessed using CCK-8 assay, EdU staining, TUNEL staining, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. The molecular mechanism was analyzed using western blotting. In addition, the role of hsa_circ_0051908 in tumor growth was evaluated in vivo. Results. Hsa_circ_0051908 expression was increased in both HCC tissues and cell lines. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells were significantly decreased after hsa_circ_0051908 knockdown, while cell apoptosis was notably increased. Furthermore, we found that hsa_circ_0051908 silencing downregulated vimentin and Snail and upregulated E-cadherin. In vivo, hsa_circ_0051908 silencing significantly inhibited the growth of the tumor. Conclusions. Our data provide evidence that hsa_circ_0051908 promotes HCC progression partially by mediating the epithelial–mesenchymal transition process, and it may be used for HCC treatment.