OncoTargets and Therapy (Dec 2020)
Circular RNA circGSE1 Promotes Cervical Cancer Progression Through miR-138-5p/Vimentin
Abstract
Suzhen Fan,1,* Shujun Zhao,1,* Xiang Gao,1 Qiaohong Qin,1 Yan Guo,1 Zhongfu Yuan,2 Min Zhang,1 Qing Liu,1 Hongyu Li1 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hongyu LiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 7 Kangfu Front Street, Erqi, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail [email protected]: A growing number of studies have identified that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a vital role in the progression of various tumors. However, the underlying functions and mechanisms of circRNAs in cervical cancer have not been clarified.Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the level of circGSE1 in cervical cancer tissues and matched normal tissues. In vitro cell wound healing, transwell migration and invasion assays were employed to assess the effects of circGSE1 on cell mobility. The pull-down, luciferase reporter, RIP and rescue assays were performed to evaluate the interaction between circGSE1and miR-138-5p and the regulation of miR-138-5p on Vimentin.Results: We found that circGSE1 was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than that in matched normal tissues. Further analyses revealed that the level of circGSE1 was positively correlated with tumor differentiation, FIGUREO stage, depth of stromal invasion, lymph node metastasis and infiltration of parauterine organ. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that high circGSE1 predicted worse overall survival and disease-free survival. Down-regulated circGSE1 evidently inhibited cell migration and metastasis of cervical cancer, while up-regulated circGSE1 significantly promoted cell migration and metastasis. The pull-down, luciferase reporter and RIP assays revealed that circGSE1 directly bound to and sponge miR-138-5p. MiR-138-5p inhibited the expression of Vimentin through directly binding to 3ʹUTR of Vimentin mRNA. In addition, miR-138-5p suppressed cell migration and invasion through inhibiting Vimentin expression, and circGSE1 promoted cell migration and invasion through sponging miR-138-5p and enhancing Vimentin expression.Conclusion: CircGSE1 promotes the progression and may act as a novel diagnostic biomarker for disease progression of cervical cancer.Keywords: circGSE1, miR-138-5p, Vimentin, cervical cancer, migration and metastasis
