Eccrine poroma (EP), as first described in 1956 by Goldman et al., 1 is a rare benign adnexal neoplasms originating from intraepidermal region of the eccrine sweat duct that mainly affects the palmoplantar skin.Clinically, the lesions usually present as pinkish, red, flesh-coloured, dome-shaped papules or nodules with smooth or verrucous surfaces that are easily misdiagnosed as basal cell carcinoma, pyogenic granuloma, squamous cell carcinoma and seborrheic keratosis.Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), which has shown to be an important in vivo, non-invasive diagnostic technique for skin lesions.
Background
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are often dysregulated in cancers and closely related to cancer progression, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). However, the role and mechanism of circ_0068631 in CSCC progression have not been reported.
Methods
The expression of circ_0068631, microRNA‐139‐5p (miR‐139‐5p), and homeobox B7 (HOXB7) was measured by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). Cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, and colony formation assay were used to measure cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Cell migration was detected by transwell assay. The interaction between miR‐139‐5p and circ_0068631 or HOXB7 was confirmed by dual‐luciferase reporter assay. A xenograft tumor model was established to confirm the function of circ_0068631 in vivo.
Results
Circ_0068631 was upregulated in CSCC tissues and cells, and its silencing could inhibit CSCC cell proliferation and metastasis while promoting apoptosis in vitro, as well as restrain CSCC tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0068631 acted as a sponge of miR‐139‐5p, and miR‐139‐5p inhibition reversed the repressive effect of circ_0068631 knockdown on CSCC cell progression. Furthermore, HOXB7 was a target of miR‐139‐5p, and miR‐139‐5p inhibited the malignant behaviors by downregulating HOXB7 expression in CSCC cells. Further, circ_0068631 sponged miR‐139‐5p to regulate HOXB7 expression.
Conclusion
Circ_0068631 functioned as a novel oncogene in CSCC progression by regulating miR‐139‐5p/HOXB7 axis, suggesting that circ_0068631 may be a potential target for CSCC treatment.
Highlights
Circ_0068631 was overexpressed in CSCC tissues and cells.
Circ_0068631 downregulation suppressed CSCC progression via miR‐139‐5p.
Circ_0068631 regulated HOXB7 via sponging miR‐139‐5p.
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