Comprehensive profile of differentially expressed circular RNAs reveals that hsa_circ_0000069 is upregulated and promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in colorectal cancer.

Background: Nowadays, despite great progress in cancer research, the detailed mechanisms of colorectal cancer (CRC) are still poorly understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a new star of the non-coding RNA network, have been identified as critical regulators in various cancers, including CRC.
Methods and Results: In this study, by using unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis, a novel dysregulated circRNA, hsa&#95;circ&#95;0000069, was found. The expression of hsa&#95;circ&#95;0000069 was measured in 30 paired CRC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. A high expression of hsa&#95;circ&#95;0000069 was observed in CRC tissues and correlated with patients' age and tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage ( P <0.05). Furthermore, by using specifically designed siRNAs in CRC cells, a functional analysis was performed which revealed that hsa&#95;circ&#95;0000069 knockdown could notably inhibit cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induce G0/G1 phase arrest of cell cycle in vitro.
Conclusion: This study's findings are the first to demonstrate that hsa&#95;circ&#95;0000069, an important regulator in cancer progression, could be a promising target in the diagnosis and therapy in colorectal cancer.
Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.