The role of circular RNA HUWE1 in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality in Canadian males, highlighting a need for continued research in this area. We have previously found that circHUWE1 is upregulated in highly metastatic PCa cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that circHUWE1 promotes PCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. PC-3 cells were transfected with circHUWE1 siRNA to perform loss-of-function experiments. Knockdown of circHUWE1 significantly reduced cell proliferation and migration. mRNA expressions of multiple proliferation-related genes were affected: HMGA1, CDK6, and HDAC2 were significantly increased, while P21 and CCND1 were significantly decreased. A significant reduction in vimentin protein expression was observed, suggesting circHUWE1 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Additionally, knockdown of circHUWE1 significantly reduced RAC1 and MAPK1 mRNA expression, suggesting circHUWE1 may exert its effects through these molecules. Understanding the role of circHUWE1 in PCa may contribute to the development of targeted therapeutics to improve outcomes for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.