Abstract
Background:
Circular RNA (circRNA) are a new class of non-coding RNAs that are involved in the molecular pathology of cancer. This study aims to screen and validate key circRNAs with diagnostic potential in o ral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and explore their possible molecular mechanism.
Methods:
This study first integrated the GSE131182 dataset with clinically obtained OSCC sample data and used the limma package to identify differentially expressed circular RNAs (DEcircRNAs). Subsequently, circRNAs associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were identified using CircNet2.0 and intersected with the differentially expressed circRNAs to determine the key circRNA. The diagnostic value of the key circRNA was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, followed by functional validation through in vitro assays including cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, transwell assay, and flow cytometry. Finally, target microRNAs (miRNAs) were predicted using CircNet2.0 and miRDB, a ceRNA network was constructed, and functional enrichment analysis of target genes was performed using Metascape tool.
Results:
A total of 318 and 46 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) were identified from the GSE131182 dataset and clinical samples, respectively. Through intersection analysis, the key circRNA hsa_circ_0000831 was identified. hsa_circ_0000831 was upregulated in OSCC samples, and ROC curve analysis indicated its high diagnostic performance. In vitro experiments showed that inhibition of hsa_circ_0000831 significantly reduced OSCC cell viability, migration, and invasion, while markedly enhancing apoptosis. ceRNA network analysis predicted that hsa_circ_0000831 targets five miRNAs (including hsa-miR-136-5p, hsa-miR-100-3p, hsa-miR-144-5p, hsa-miR-149-5p and hsa-miR-214-5p), with the associated target genes mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways.
Conclusion:
This work offer s a novel foundation for the early identification of OSCC and provides potential clues for finding new therapeutic targets.
Keywords:
Biomarker; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; ceRNA network; circRNA; miRNA.