Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play key roles in many malignant tumors, including pancreatic cancer (PC); however, whether circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117, a newly identified circRNA, has a role in PC has not been investigated. Here, in order to elucidate the role and potential molecular mechanisms of circRNAs, we utilized bioinformatic tolls to screen the differentially expressed circRNAs in PC. Subsequently, circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117 was identified as being highly expressed in PC tissues in a screen of two GEO datasets, which was further verified in PC cell lines and tissues. Then, its molecular characteristics were investigated using methods such as Sanger sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Functional experiments subsequently indicated that circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117 facilitated the malignant behaviors of PC cells, prompting that it plays an oncogenic role in PC. Moreover, we found that circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117 exerts its PC-promoting effects via activating the KRAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Through bioinformatics exploration and dual-luciferase reporter assays, miR-96-5p was identified as a downstream target of circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117. A series of assays confirmed that circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117 acted as a miR-96-5p sponge, thereby promoting the malignant features of PC in a miR-96-5p/KRAS axis-dependent manner. Taken together, our study indicated, for the first time, that the specifically highly expressed circular RNA hsa_circ_0006117 facilitates PC progression via the modulation of the miR-96-5p/KRAS/MAPK signaling pathway and might be a hopeful therapeutic target for PC.