Abstract
PURPOSE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the largest type of lung cancer (LC) with a higher mortality rate. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to play an important role in cancer progression. Therefore, this study was to explore the function of hsa_circ_0043265 in NSCLC. METHODS: The expression levels of hsa_circ_0043265, microRNA-25-3p (miR-25-3p) and forkhead box P2 (FOXP2) were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Ribonuclease R (RNase R) and Actinomycin D (ActD) were used to verify the authenticity and stability of hsa_circ_0043265. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry and transwell assays were used to evaluate the abilities of proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Also, Western blot (WB) analysis was performed to assess the levels of apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation-related proteins and FOXP2 protein. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the interaction between miR-25-3p and hsa_circ_0043265 or FOXP2. Besides, mice xenograft models were constructed to confirm the effect of hsa_circ_0043265 on NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: Hsa_circ_0043265 was lowly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cells, and its overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process, while improved the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. MiR-25-3p could be sponged by hsa_circ_0043265, and its overexpression could invert the suppression effect of overexpressed-hsa_circ_0043265 on NSCLC progression. Moreover, FOXP2 was a target of miR-25-3p, and its silencing also could reverse the inhibition effect of overexpressed-hsa_circ_0043265 on NSCLC progression. In addition, hsa_circ_0043265 overexpression reduced the tumor growth of NSCLC in vivo. CONCLUSION: Hsa_circ_0043265 could sponge miR-25-3p to improve FOXP2 expression, thereby inhibiting NSCLC progression. This study showed that hsa_circ_0043265 could be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of NSCLC.