Hsa_circ_0072088 promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression through modulating miR-1270/TOP2A axis

According to the data released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2020, lung cancer ranks second among newly diagnosed malignant tumors globally. As a special class of non-coding RNA, circRNA has become a new hotspot in the field of biomarker research. With the continuous deepening of molecular-level investigations, the underlying mechanisms of circRNA are being gradually unveiled. The more widely studied mechanism is the competitive endogenous RNA mechanism of circRNA. Studies related to circRNA expression were searched in GEO database and statistically analyzed using the "limma" package and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The expression of circRNA, microRNA and mRNA in cells and tissues were examined via qRT-PCR. MTS assay was used to measure cell proliferation, Transwell assay was used to measure cell migration, and apoptosis assay was carried out to detect cell apoptosis. Additionally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was further executed to explore the targeted binding relationships between circRNA-microRNA and microRNA-mRNA. It was discovered that hsa_circRNA_103809 was differentially highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer cells, whereas miR-1270 was differentially lowly expressed. The knockdown of circ_0072088 inhibited the cell proliferation and migration, while promoting cell apoptosis. The same biological function was found with the overexpression of miR-1270. The rescue experiment further validated that circ_0072088 could regulate the biological function of cells by influencing miR-1270. Finally, the targeted binding relationship was verified by dual luciferase reporting experiment. In conclusion, circ_0072088 is differentially highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer and can affect the progression of non-small cell lung cancer through the circ_0072088/miR-1270/TOP2A axis.