Comparative transcriptome analysis of the global circular RNAs expression profiles between SHEE and SHEEC cell lines

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly lethal cancer globally.
• Early detection of ESCC significantly improves patient outcomes.
• Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel non-coding RNAs with potential as disease biomarkers due to their stability and abundance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate global circRNA expression profiles in normal versus malignant esophageal epithelial cells.
• To identify potential circRNA biomarkers for early detection of ESCC.
• To explore the roles of circRNAs in ESCC pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of circRNA expression using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics.
• Validation of differentially expressed circRNAs via quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
• Construction of a circRNA-miRNA interaction network.

Main Results:

• Identified 813 up-regulated and 445 down-regulated circRNA candidates.
• Validated 32 differentially expressed circRNAs.
• Associated these circRNAs with critical cancer pathways (metabolism, apoptosis, proliferation, migration).
• CircRNA9927-NBEAL1 emerged as a major node in the circRNA-miRNA network.

Conclusions:

• circRNAs are differentially expressed in ESCC and may play roles in its development.
• Identified circRNAs represent promising candidates for ESCC diagnostic biomarkers.
• This research provides a foundation for understanding circRNA's pathological significance in ESCC.