Circular RNA circVAPA Promotes Cell Proliferation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Oncology
• Genetics

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent liver malignancy and a leading cause of cancer mortality globally.
• Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are increasingly implicated in cancer development, but their specific roles in HCC remain largely unexplored.
• Previous studies identified circVAPA as oncogenic in colorectal cancer, yet its function in HCC is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role and mechanism of circVAPA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression.
• To elucidate the relationship between circVAPA, miR-377-3p, and prosaposin (PSAP) in HCC.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative real-time PCR to measure circVAPA, miR-377-3p, and PSAP mRNA expression.
• Western blot analysis for PSAP protein levels.
• Cell proliferation assays (CCK-8, colony formation, EdU) and dual-luciferase reporter assays to assess functional impact and interactions.

Main Results:

• circVAPA expression was significantly upregulated in HCC cell lines.
• Depletion of circVAPA suppressed HCC cell proliferation.
• circVAPA was found to promote PSAP expression by sponging miR-377-3p, and PSAP overexpression rescued the proliferation inhibition caused by circVAPA silencing.

Conclusions:

• circVAPA acts as an oncogene in HCC by promoting cell proliferation.
• The mechanism involves circVAPA sponging miR-377-3p, which subsequently upregulates PSAP expression.
• This circVAPA/miR-377-3p/PSAP axis provides a novel perspective on HCC initiation and progression.