Abstract
The dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) facilitates the tumorigenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). This study was targeted at determining the functions and mechanism of circ_0000644 in regulating PTC development. Circ_0000644, microRNA-1205 (miR-1205) and E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) expressions were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Actinomycin D (ActD) and Ribonuclease R (RNase R) assays were used to verify the circular characteristic of circ_0000644. After circ_0000644 was knocked down, PTC cell growth, migration, invasion and apoptosis were assessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, Transwell assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The regulating relationships among circ_0000644, E2F3 and miR-1205 were confirmed through RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, the regulatory effects of circ_0000644 on the protein level of E2F3 was analyzed via Western blot. In PTC, circ_0000644 was highly expressed, and it was located mainly in the cytoplasm, and it had stable structure. The knockdown of circ_0000644 repressed PTC cell growth, migration, and invasion, and facilitated apoptosis. Circ_0000644 could directly interact with miR-1205 to repress the expression of miR-1205, and it served as a miR-1205 sponge to modulate E2F3 expression in PTC cells. Circ_0000644 up-regulates E2F3 expression via sponging miR-1205 to promote PTC progression.