Study on the Role of Circular RNA hsa_circ_0001591 in Colorectal Cancer

Objective: To validate and characterize the expression of circular RNA hsa_circ_0001591—identified by high-throughput sequencing on the DNBSEQ platform—as differentially expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues versus adjacent non-tumor tissues and to explore its association with clinicopathological features and prognostic potential. Methods: RT-qPCR was performed on 13 paired CRC and matched adjacent samples to confirm elevated hsa_circ_0001591 levels, functional knockdown attempts were made in CRC cell lines with PCR verification of silencing efficiency, and statistical analyses were conducted to correlate RNA expression with CD31/CD34 status, patient age, and short-term postoperative outcomes. Results: Ten of 13 CRC specimens showed significantly higher hsa_circ_0001591 expression in tumor versus adjacent tissue, and elevated levels correlated with CD31/CD34 positivity (P = 0.041) and age > 70 years old (P = 0.033), whereas circRNA knockdown in vitro was inconclusive due to its inherent stability and no significant differences in short-term postoperative status were observed. Conclusion: hsa_circ_0001591 is upregulated in CRC and linked to markers of vascular invasion, suggesting a potential inhibitory role in angiogenesis, and its miRNA/mRNA interaction network may drive CRC pathogenesis, making it a promising molecular biomarker and therapeutic target.