Hsa_circ_0102272 serves as a prognostic biomarker and regulates proliferation, migration and apoptosis in thyroid cancer.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence shows that circRNAs comprise a class of non-coding RNA exhibiting tremendous potential for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and they are also implicated in the pathogenesis of carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate abnormally expressed circRNAs in thyroid cancer (TC). Five pairs of TC tissues and adjacent nornal specimens were used to analyze abnormal circRNA expression using high-throughput sequencing. MTT and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro. Cell migration and invasion were detected by a Transwell assay conducted in vitro. Fifty-four circRNAs, including 19 down-regulated and 35 up-regulated, were significantly aberrantly expressed in TC tissues compared to para-carcinoma tissues. Both sequencing and quantitative reverse transcriptse-polymersase chain reaction analysis corroborated that hsa_circ_0102272 was dramatically elevated in TC tissues and cell lines compared to the control group. Patients with high expression of hsa_circ_0102272 showed significantly short overall survival and progression-free survival compared to those patients with hsa_circ_0102272 low expression. In vitro experiments confirmed that knockdown of hsa_circ_0102272 could restrain cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as facilitate apoptosis of TC cells in vitro. Hsa_circ_0102272 displays oncogenic function via repressing malignant biological properties and serves as a prognostic biomarker in TC patients.