CircTHBS1 drives gastric cancer progression by increasing INHBA mRNA expression and stability in a ceRNA- and RBP-dependent manner

• DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04720-0
• Publication Date: 2022-03-25T11:03:05Z
• Authors: Shengkui Qiu; Bowen Li; Yiwen Xia; Zhe Xuan; Zheng Li; Li Xie; Chao Gu; Jialun Lv; Chen Lu; Tianlu Jiang; Lang Fang; Penghui Xu; Jing Yang; Ying Li; Zetian Chen; Lu Zhang; Linjun Wang; Diancai Zhang; Hao Xu; Weizhi Wang; Zekuan Xu
• Keywords: Competing Endogenous RNA

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital regulatory roles in the progression of multiple cancers. In our study, transcriptome analysis and self-organizing maps (SOM) were applied to screen backbone circRNAs gastric cancer (GC). Upon validation expression patterns screened circRNAs, gain- loss-of-function assays performed vitro vivo. Underlying mechanisms investigated using RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter assay immunoprecipitation. The circTHBS1 was significantly increased GC associated with poor prognosis. CircTHBS1 facilitated malignant behavior epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition cells. Mechanistically, sponged miR-204-5p promote Inhibin Subunit Beta A (INHBA). Moreover, could enhance HuR-mediated mRNA stability INHBA, which subsequently activated TGF-β pathway. Our research identified as an oncogenic circRNA that enhances malignancy by elevating INHBA expression, providing new insight a feasible target for diagnosis treatment GC.