Circular RNAs play an important role in late-stage gastric cancer: Circular RNA expression profiles and bioinformatics analyses

Abstract

Gastric cancer is one of the most common tumors of the digestive system. Here, analysis of the expression profiles of circular RNAs in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal mucosa tissues revealed differential expression of 306 circular RNAs, among which 273 were predicted to exert regulatory effects on target microRNAs. The downstream pathway networks of circular RNA–microRNA were mapped and the node genes were identified. In particular, we found that the expression of hsa_circ_0058246 was elevated in tumor specimens of patients with poor clinical outcomes. Our collective findings indicate that circular RNAs play a critical role in gastric cancer tumorigenesis. Data from this study provide a new perspective on the molecular pathways underlying metastasis and recurrence of gastric cancer and highlight potential therapeutic targets that may contribute to more effective diagnosis and treatment of the disease.