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Updated: Jan 25, 2026
An Orthotopic Model of Serous Ovarian Cancer in Immunocompetent Mice for in vivo Tumor Imaging and Monitoring of Tumor Immune Responses
Published on: November 28, 2010
Comprehensive circular RNA expression profiles and the tumor-suppressive function of circHIPK3 in ovarian cancer
Fang Teng1, Juan Xu1, Min Zhang2
1Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing 210004, China.
Background:
With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS), thousands of circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found. Many circRNAs have been verified to play vital roles in carcinogenesis. However, whether circRNAs engage in the development and progression of ovarian cancer remains to be clarified.
Methods:
We analyzed circRNA expression profiling in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and normal ovarian tissues (NOT) using NGS and validated six randomly selected circRNAs via quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR), reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and Sanger sequencing after RNase treatment. CircHIPK3, the most abundant circRNA in our sequencing data, was further knocked down by siRNA. The circHIPK3 function in proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and normal ovarian epithelial cells was analyzed via cell counting-kit 8 (CCK8), wound healing, transwell and flow cytometry analyses after circHIPK3 was efficiently silenced.
Results:
Altogether, we found 7333 circRNAs, of which 4505 (61.43%) were newly identified, 2431 were significantly upregulated and 3120 were remarkably downregulated. Six randomly selected differentially expressed circRNAs were examined in 18 EOC and 18 NOT. Furthermore, the results of RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing after RNase treatment confirmed head-to-tail back-splicing. Silencing of circHIPK3 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells (A2780 and SKOV3) and normal ovarian epithelial cells (IOSE80). Additionally, the circHIPK3-miRNA-mRNA axis was predicted as the possible mechanism using bioinformatic approaches.
Conclusions:
We identified the circRNA expression profile in ovarian cancer tissues and further verified the existence and expression of six randomly selected differentially expressed circRNAs. Besides, we also found that circHIPK3 is an important regulator of ovarian cancer progression.
Insights
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play roles in cancer. This study identified circRNA profiles in ovarian cancer, finding circHIPK3 promotes ovarian cancer progression by affecting cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are increasingly recognized for their roles in various cancers.
- The specific involvement of circRNAs in the development and progression of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify circRNA expression profiles in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissues.
- To investigate the functional role of circHIPK3 in ovarian cancer progression.
Main Methods:
- Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze circRNA expression in EOC and normal ovarian tissues (NOT).
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), RT-PCR, and Sanger sequencing validated differentially expressed circRNAs.
- Functional assays (CCK8, wound healing, Transwell, flow cytometry) were performed after circHIPK3 knockdown using siRNA.
Main Results:
- A total of 7333 circRNAs were identified, with 4505 being novel. Significant upregulation and downregulation of circRNAs were observed in EOC.
- CircHIPK3 was identified as the most abundant circRNA and its expression was validated.
- Silencing circHIPK3 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion while inhibiting apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells and normal ovarian epithelial cells.
Conclusions:
- The study established the circRNA expression profile in ovarian cancer.
- CircHIPK3 was identified as a significant regulator of ovarian cancer progression, influencing key cellular processes.
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