circEIF4G2 modulates the malignant features of cervical cancer via the miR‑218/HOXA1 pathway

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) serve important roles in tumorigenesis and may be used as novel molecular biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. However, the role and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in cervical cancer (CC) remain unknown. In the present study, circRNA isoform of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4γ2 (circEIF4G2) was revealed to be significantly upregulated in CC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, increased expression of circEIF4G2 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with CC. circEIF4G2 knockdown suppressed the malignant features of CC cells, including cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion. Additionally, circEIF4G2 was identified to serve as a sponge for microRNA-218 (miR-218), which targeted homeobox A1 (HOXA1). Furthermore, circEIF4G2 may increase the expression levels of HOXA1 by sponging miR-218. Rescue experiments suggested that transfection with a miR-218 inhibitor attenuated the inhibitory effects of circEIF4G2 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, silencing HOXA1 reversed the effects of the miR-218 inhibitor on CC cells. Collectively, the present findings suggested that circEIF4G2 promoted cell proliferation and migration via the miR-218/HOXA1 pathway.

[Retracted] CircEIF4G2 Promotes Tumorigenesis and Progression of Osteosarcoma by Sponging miR‐218

“…In OS, knockdown of EIF4G2 significantly decreased translation and cell proliferation and induced cellular senescence [20]. The circRNA isoform of EIF4G2 was found to be upregulated in cervical cancer (CC) [29]. The molecular function studies demonstrated that circEIF4G2 acted as an oncogene in CC by promoting cell proliferation.…”

<p>hsa_circ_0008285 Facilitates the Progression of Cervical Cancer by Targeting miR-211-5p/SOX4 Axis</p>

“…14 Mao et al revealed that circEIF4G2 promoted the malignant features of CC through regulating the miR-218/HOXA1 axis. 15 Tian et al found that circSMARCA5 inhibited the proliferation and invasion in CC by regulating miR-620. 16 In the current study, we analyzed the GSE102686 chip and found hsa_circ_0008285 was one of the most upregulated circRNAs, which was further explored in CC tissues and cell lines.…”

The Expression, Functions and Mechanisms of Circular RNAs in Gynecological Cancers

“…The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway controls multiple cellular processes including proliferation, growth, invasion and chemoresistance, and it is one of the most frequently dysregulated pathways in human cancers, including CC [106,107]. Integrin β1 can promote cancer initiation and progression through the activation of multiple downstream pathways, including the PI3K/AKT Diverse circRNAs (such as circEIF4G2, circ0007534, circ0005576, circ0075341, circ0000515, circAMOTL1, and circSLC26A4) were previously described to promote the tumorigenesis of CC by increasing the respective downstream targets mRNAs, including HOXA1, BMI-1, KIF20A, AURKA, ELK1, AMOTL1 and HOXA7 via sponging miRNAs [84,90,91,94,95,97,101]. Additionally, circRNAs (such as circ0018289, circ0000285 and circMYBL2,) were found to be overexpressed in CC tissues, and their upregulation enhanced CC cell invasion and metastasis [76,92,98].…”