RESUMO
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of noncoding RNAs that are expressed across species and are implicated in cellular biological processes, displaying dysregulated expression in various tumorigeneses. Therefore, circRNA deregulation could be a crucial event in thyroid carcinoma. The present study identified circRNA signatures in several patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) to complement the understanding of PTC pathogenesis. Using microarray technology, the circRNA profiles in three pairs of PTC tumors and matching adjacent normal tissues were screened. Differentially expressed circRNAs were further validated by reverse transcriptionquantitative PCR in whole blood from 57 pairs of subjects. Bioinformatics data analyses including miRNA response element prediction, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, competing endogenous RNA and KEGG OrthologyBased Annotation System analyses were performed to predict circRNA associations with cancerrelated putative downstream miRNAs and target genes. Receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC) values were acquired to assess the performance of validated circRNAs in predicting potential associations with PTC. In total, 158 dysregulated circRNAs were identified in PTC tumors relative to adjacent normal tissues. Notably, one downregulated circRNA (hsa_circ_IPCEF1) showed the preferable predictive power (AUC=0.8010, P<0.0001) and interactions with four cancerrelated genes (CASR, CDC25B, NFκB1 and SHOC2). From these analyses, one PTCrelated miRNA (hsamiR36195p) was identified as a potential target for hsa_circ_IPCEF1 sponging, indicating the hsa_circ_IPCEF1/hsamiR36195p axis in pathogenesis.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Transporte/metabolismo , RNA Circular/genética , RNA Circular/metabolismo , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/genética , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/genética , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/metabolismo , Adulto , Área Sob a Curva , Biomarcadores Tumorais/genética , Proteínas de Transporte/genética , Biologia Computacional , Feminino , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Ontologia Genética , Humanos , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/genética , Masculino , MicroRNAs/genética , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Subunidade p50 de NF-kappa B/genética , RNA , Curva ROC , Receptores de Detecção de Cálcio/genética , Transcriptoma , Fosfatases cdc25/genéticaRESUMO
In this study, we explored the circular RNA (circRNA) profile in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the effects of hsa_circNFXL1_009 on abnormal proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) driven by hypoxia. Using microarrays, we screened the circRNA profile in whole-blood samples from three pairs of subjects and found 158 dysregulated circRNAs in patients with PAH-COPD. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis further validated that hsa_circNFXL1_009 was dramatically downregulated with the highest area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) in 21 pairs of subjects. Consistently, exposure to hypoxia markedly reduced the hsa_circNFXL1_009 level in cultured hPASMCs. Delivery of exogenous hsa_circNFXL1_009 attenuated hypoxia-induced proliferation, apoptotic resistance, and migration of hPASMCs, as evidenced by immunocytochemistry, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation, wound healing, and a TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling) assay. A luciferase assay showed that hsa_circNFXL1_009 directly sponged hsa-miR-29b-2-5p (miR-29b) and positively regulated the expression of voltage-gated potassium (K+) channel subfamily B member 1 (KCNB1) at the mRNA level. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, we proved that overexpression of hsa_circNFXL1_009 promoted a whole-cell K+ current in hPASMCs. Taken together, these studies identify hsa_circNFXL1_009 as a key regulator of PAH, and it may be used as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of PAH.