Circular RNA drives resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy by regulating the miR-30a-5p/SOX4 axis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim: Circular RNAs are widely and abnormally expressed in human cancer cells, and they participate in cancer progression. However, they have rarely been investigated in the immune evasion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we elucidated the function and molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_0020714 in promoting the resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy of NSCLC. Methods: The expression of hsa_circ_0020714 were examined by qRT-PCR. In vivo experiments were executed to investigate the biological function of hsa_circ_0020714 in the sensitivity of NSCLC to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. The qRT-PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation, and western blot were carried out to investigate the potential regulatory mechanisms of hsa_circ_0020714 in NSCLC immune evasion. Results: The expression of hsa_circ_0020714 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues compared to the paired adjacent non-tumor tissues, and an increased expression of hsa_circ_0020714 was significantly associated with a bad prognosis and resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0020714 functions as an endogenous miR-30a-5p sponge to enhance SOX4 expression, thereby promoting immune evasion and anti-PD-1 resistance in NSCLC patients. Conclusion: Hsa_circ_0020714 induces the immune evasion and resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy of NSCLC via the miR-30a-5p/SOX4 axis, and may be an promising immunotherapeutic target in NSCLC.

Correction to: Circular RNA circFGFR1 promotes progression and anti-PD-1 resistance by sponging miR-381-3p in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

After the publication of this work [1], an error was found in Fig. 1b. As described in the Results section that circ0084003 has 13 exons, it should be formed by 5-17 (13exons) exons, authors have described "formed by 5-19 exons". The authors extend their apology for the mistake caused by their action. With that mistake, the correct version of Fig. 1b is provided below.

Circular RNA circFGFR1 promotes progression and anti-PD-1 resistance by sponging miR-381-3p in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Immune system evasion, distance tumor metastases, and increased cell proliferation are the main reasons for the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the death of NSCLC patients. Dysregulation of circular RNAs plays a critical role in the progression of NSCLC; therefore, further understanding the biological mechanisms of abnormally expressed circRNAs is critical to discovering novel, promising therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment. METHODS: The expression of circular RNA fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (circFGFR1) in NSCLC tissues, paired nontumor tissues, and cell lines was detected by RT-qPCR. The role of circFGFR1 in NSCLC progression was assessed both in vitro by CCK-8, clonal formation, wound healing, and Matrigel Transwell assays and in vivo by a subcutaneous tumor mouse assay. In vivo circRNA precipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to explore the interaction between circFGFR1 and miR-381-3p. RESULTS: Here, we report that circFGFR1 is upregulated in NSCLC tissues, and circFGFR1 expression is associated with deleterious clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognoses for NSCLC patients. Forced circFGFR1 expression promoted the migration, invasion, proliferation, and immune evasion of NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, circFGFR1 could directly interact with miR-381-3p and subsequently act as a miRNA sponge to upregulate the expression of the miR-381-3p target gene C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which promoted NSCLC progression and resistance to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)- based therapy. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results suggest the critical role of circFGFR1 in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and immune evasion abilities of NSCLC cells and provide a new perspective on circRNAs during NSCLC progression.

SNHG22 overexpression indicates poor prognosis and induces chemotherapy resistance via the miR-2467/Gal-1 signaling pathway in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Recently, an increasing number of studies have reported that dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) plays an important role in cancer initiation and progression, including in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). However, little is known about the detailed biological functions of the lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 22 (SNHG22) during the progression of EOC. Here, we found that SNHG22 was significantly increased in EOC tissues and was significantly associated with a low level of differentiation. Forced SNHG22 expression promoted chemotherapy resistance in EOC cells. Knockdown of SNHG22 expression increased the sensitivity of EOC cells to cisplatin and paclitaxel. Importantly, we found that SNHG22 could directly interact with miR-2467 and lead to the release of miR-2467-targeted Gal-1 mRNA. Moreover, SNHG22 overexpression induced EOC cell resistance to chemotherapy agents via PI3K/AKT and ERK cascade activation. In summary, our findings demonstrate that SNHG22 plays a critical role in the chemotherapy resistance of EOC by mediating the miR-2467/Gal-1 regulatory axis.