CircANKRD52 Augments the Growth and Invasion of Melanoma Cells by Sponging miR-141-3p and Upregulating PRKACB.

Accumulating data have shown that circRNAs act pivotal roles in cancer progression. However, the role and molecular mechanism of circRNAs in melanoma remain undocumented. GEO dataset was used to identify the differentially expressed circRNAs between melanoma and normal tissues, and the expression and prognosis of circANKRD52 (hsa_circ_0026926) in melanoma were assessed by qRT-PCR analysis. EdU, Transwell, Flow cytometry analysis, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) coculture assay as well as in vivo tumourigenesis models were utilised to assess cell growth and invasion. The specific binding between circANKRD52 and miR-141-3p was confirmed by bioinformatic analysis, RIP, RNA pull-down, and luciferase reporter assays. The effect of circANKRD52 or miR-141-3p on PRKACB expression was evaluated by Western blot assay. We found that circANKRD52 was upregulated in melanoma tissue samples and cell lines and associated with poor survival and tumour recurrence in patients with melanoma. Knockdown of circANKRD52 repressed the growth and invasion of melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo, whereas ectopic expression of circANKRD52 promoted these effects. Moreover, circANKRD52 could bind to miR-141-3p, leading to upregulation of PRKACB, and downregulation of miR-141-3p restored melanoma cell growth and invasion. Our findings demonstrate that circANKRD52 promotes the growth and angiogenesis of melanoma cells by sponging miR-141-3p and upregulating PRKACB.