Diagnostic value of exosomal circMYC in radioresistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Background: The relationship between circulating exosomal circular RNA (circRNA) and prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unknown. This study focused on the expression of exosomal circMYC and its relationship with the recurrence and prognosis of patients with NPC. Methods: The circulating exosomes were obtained from 210 patients with NPC. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, 5-ethynyl-2 0-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, colony formation, and bioinformatic analysis were performed. Results: Circulating exosomal circMYC was significantly increased in patients with NPC and was associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, survival rate, and disease recurrence. Gain-functional and lossfunctional experiments revealed that overexpression of circMYC promoted cell proliferation and reduce radiosensitivity, while knockdown of circMYC inhibited cell proliferation and enhanced radiotherapy. Conclusion: circMYC is an oncogene in NPC cells and can enhance the radiotherapy resistance of NPC cells. Circulating exosomal circMYC can be used as a potential therapeutic target for NPC.

Reply: Diagnostic value of exosomal circMYC in radioresistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Methodological issues

“…Knockdown of circMYC sensitizes NPC cells to irradiation. 1 Our conclusion is that circMYC is an oncogene in NPC cells and can enhance the radiotherapy resistance of NPC cells. Circulating exosomal circMYC can be used as a potential therapeutic target for NPC.…”

“…The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.945, and the sensitivity and specificity were 90.24% and 94.51%, respectively, suggesting that exosomal circMYC can be used as a biomarker for differentiating radioresistant patients from radiosensitive NPC patients. 1 Therefore, our research conclusion is that exosomal circMYC can be used for differentiating radioresistant patients from radiosensitive NPC patients. Furthermore, the role of circMYC in NPC radiotherapy tolerance was further studied.…”

The role of Exosomes in the Pathogenesis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and the involved Clinical Application

“…Some molecules originated from NPC-related exosomes have been confirmed to be radiosensitive. It has been found that CircMYC, a newly discovered circular RNA (circRNA) in the circulating exosomes of NPC patients, is radioresistant and supportive for cell proliferation, and high level of circMYC is correlated with NPC recurrence 25 . Similarly, LMP1, as a vital cancer-promoting factor, exerts its carcinogenic effect by activating the P38 MARK signal of receptor cells to stimulate radiation resistance 72 .…”

“…Originating from extracellular vesicles, exosomes have a unique source of cargo, capable of reproducing the molecular characteristics of parent cells in the nucleus 24 . There is growing evidence that different types of exosomes target their respective receptors to exert a variety of biological effects on NPC cell proliferation and function, resulting in promoting or suppressing the tumor growth 18 , 25 - 27 . In addition to serve as intercellular carriers for material transfer, exosomes can be utilized as biomarkers for disease diagnosis 28 , 29 .…”

Diagnostic value of exosomal circMYC in radioresistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Methodological issues

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To the Editor We read with interest the paper authored by Guo et al 1 published in Head & Neck in 2020. The aim of study was assessing the diagnostic value of exosomal circMYC in recurrence and prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

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