Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is a relatively common tumor. As circular RNAs (circRNAs) are documented to modulate proliferation and metastasis in various cancers, we evaluated the functions of circRNAs, in particular, hsa_circ_0005529, in gastric cancer cells. METHODS: Levels of hsa_circ_0005529 and miR-873-5p were examined by qRT-PCR, and the presence of hsa_circ_0005529 was confirmed by RNase R treatment. CCK-8, wound-healing, and Transwell assays were used to assess proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively, while Western blotting was used to determine levels of zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and dual-luciferase reporter assays to examine relationships between hsa_circ_0005529 and miR-873-5p. RESULTS: hsa_circ_0005529 was strongly expressed in gastric cancer where it stimulated tumorigenic behavior. Furthermore, hsa_circ_0005529 was shown to promote ZEB1 expression by sponging miR-873-5p, an inhibitor of ZEB1 expression. CONCLUSION: Our research showed that hsa_circ_0005529 promoted tumorigenic behavior in gastric cancer cells by adsorbing miR-873-5p to modulate ZEB1 levels. This suggests that hsa_circ_0005529 may be useful as a biomarker and target for diagnosing and treating gastric cancer.