Circ-ABCB10 promotes proliferation and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by modulating microRNA-670-3p

MicroRNAs: A novel signature in the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant epithelial tumor, characterized by squamous cell differentiation, it is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The increased mortality rate of ESCC patients is predominantly due to the advanced stage of the disease when discovered, coupled with higher risk of metastasis, which is an exceedingly malignant characteristic of cancer, frequently leading to a high mortality rate. Unfortunately, there is currently no specific and effective marker to predict and treat metastasis in ESCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules, approximately 22 nucleotides in length. miRNAs are vital in modulating gene expression and serve pivotal regulatory roles in the occurrence, progression, and prognosis of cancer. Here, we have examined the literature to highlight the intimate correlations between miRNAs and ESCC metastasis, and show that ESCC metastasis is predominantly regulated or regulated by genetic and epigenetic factors. This review proposes a potential role for miRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for metastasis in ESCC metastasis, with the ultimate aim of reducing the mortality rate among patients with ESCC.

Current advances and future perspectives on the functional roles and clinical implications of circular RNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: more influential than expected

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive gastrointestinal cancers with high incidence and mortality. Therefore, it is necessary to identify novel sensitive and specific biomarkers for ESCC detection and treatment. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of noncoding RNAs featured by their covalently closed circular structure. This special structure makes circRNAs more stable in mammalian cells, coupled with their great abundance and tissue specificity, suggesting circRNAs may present enormous potential to be explored as valuable prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for tumor. Mounting studies verified the critical roles of circRNAs in regulating ESCC cells malignant behaviors. Here, we summarized the current progresses in a handful of aberrantly expressed circRNAs, and elucidated their biological function and clinical significance in ESCC, and introduced a series of databases for circRNA research. With the improved advancement in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics technique, new frontiers of circRNAs will pave the path for the development of precision treatment in ESCC.

The Emerging Roles of Circ-ABCB10 in Cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) without 5′ caps and 3′ tails, which are formed from precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) that are inversely back-spliced by exons. CircRNAs are characterized by a covalently closed circular structure and are abundantly expressed in eukaryotic cells. With the development of RNA-sequencing, it was discovered that circRNAs play important roles in the regulation of numerous human genes and are related to the occurrence, development, and prognosis of diseases. Studies in various cancers have revealed that circRNAs have both positive and negative effects on the occurrence and development of tumors. Circ-ABCB10, a circular RNA originating from exons of ABCB10 located on chromosome 1q42, has been proven to play an important role in different types of cancers. Here, we report the primary findings of recent research studies by many contributors about the roles of circ-ABCB10 in cancer and clearly formulate its influence and functions in different aspects of cancer biology, which gives us a broad picture of circ-ABCB10. Thus, this study aimed to generalize the roles of circ-ABCB10 in the diagnosis and treatment of different types of tumors and its related miRNA genes. In this way, we wish to provide a sufficient understanding and assess the future development direction of the research on circ-ABCB10.

Circular RNA ABCB10 contributes to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression by modulating the miR-588/CXCR4 axis

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common head and neck cancer with a high metastasis and poor prognosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with regulatory function and broadly participate in cancer development. However, the correlation of circular RNA ABCB10 (circABCB10) with LSCC remains unclear. Here, we were interested in the role of circABCB10 in the modulation of LSCC progression. Our data demonstrated that the depletion of circABCB10 significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of LSCC cells. Meanwhile, circABCB10 knockdown was able to remarkably reduce the invasion and migration of LSCC cells. Mechanically, circABCB10 served as a sponge for microRNAs-588 (miR-588) and miR-588 could target and down-regulated chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression in LSCC cells. The overexpression of CXCR4 or miR-588 inhibitor could reverse circABCB10 depletion-attenuated malignant phenotypes of LSCC cells. Functionally, the depletion of circABCB10 alleviated the tumor growth of LSCC cells in the tumorigenicity analysis of nude mice. The CXCR4 expression was decreased while the miR-588 expression was enhanced by circABCB10 depletion in vivo. Thus, we concluded that circABCB10 was involved in the malignant progression of LSCC by regulating miR-588/CXCR4 axis. Our finding provides new insights into the mechanism of circRHOT1 contributing to the development of LSCC. CircABCB10 and miR-588 may be used as potential targets for the treatment of LSCC.

Circular RNAs act as regulators of autophagy in cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of noncoding RNAs that are emerging as critical regulators of various cellular processes that are involved in the physiopathological mechanism of many human diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, and carcinogenesis. Autophagy is a conserved and catabolic cellular process that degrades unfolded, misfolded, or damaged protein aggregates or organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis under physiological and pathological conditions. Increasing evidence has shown a link between circRNAs and autophagy that is closely related to the occurrence and development of human diseases, including cancer. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding the functions and mechanisms of circRNAs in the regulation of autophagy in cancer. These autophagy-related circRNAs contribute to cancer development and progression in various types of human cancer by activating or inhibiting autophagy. Cumulative research on the relationship between circRNAs and autophagy regulation provides critical insight into the essential role that circRNAs play in carcinogenesis and suggests new targets for tumor therapy.