Circ_0006949 as a potential non-invasive diagnosis biomarker promotes the proliferation of NSCLC cells via miR-4673/GLUL axis.

The 5-year survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains <20 %, primarily due to the early symptoms of lung cancer are inconspicuous. Prompt identification and medical intervention could serve as effective strategies for mitigating the death rate. We therefore set out to identify biomarkers to help diagnose NSCLC. CircRNA microarray and qRT-PCR reveal that sputum circ&#95;0006949 is a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis and therapy of NSCLC, which can enhance the proliferation and clone formation, regulate the cell cycle, and accelerate the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Circ&#95;0006949 and miR-4673 are predominantly co-localized in the cytoplasm of NSCLC cell lines and tissues; it upregulates GLUL by adsorption of miR-4673 through competing endogenous RNAs mechanism. The circ&#95;0006949/miR-4673/GLUL axis exerts pro-cancer effects in vitro and in vivo. Circ&#95;0006949 can boost GLUL catalytic activity, and they are highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and correlate with poor prognosis. In summary, circ&#95;0006949 is a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis and therapy of NSCLC. This novel sputum circRNA is statistically more predictive than conventional serum markers for NSCLC diagnosis. Non-invasive detection of patients with early-stage NSCLC using sputum has shown good potential for routine diagnosis and possible screening.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: None. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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