hsa_circRNA_101237: A Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target for Multiple Myeloma

It has been demonstrated that circular RNA (circRNA) plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of tumors, but the diagnostic and predictive value of most circRNAs in tumor patients remains unclear, especially for multiple myeloma (MM).

High-throughput circRNA microarray-based sequencing was used to identify the differentially expressed circRNAs in MM. qRT-PCR was then employed to detect hsa_circRNA_101237 expression levels in the bone marrow tissues from 143 MM patients (65 first-episode treatment-naive patients and 78 patients with recurrent/refractory disease), MM cells and bortezomib-resistant MM cell lines. Whether hsa_circRNA_101237 can be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for MM was investigated.

The average expressions of hsa_circRNA_101237 in the bone marrow tissues from MM patients (especially those with recurrent/refractory disease), MM cells and bortezomib-resistant MM cell lines were increased significantly (P<0.01). hsa_circRNA_101237 was overexpressed in patients positive for 13q14 deletion, 1q21 amplification, P53 deletion, and t(4,14) and t(14,16). hsa_circRNA_101237 was closely related to prognosis of the patients, and its high expression was associated with shorter OS and PFS. In addition, those overexpressing hsa_circRNA_101237 were less responsive to bortezomib treatment. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that hsa_circRNA_101237 interacted with 11 miRNAs and 10 candidate mRNAs. This finding may shed new light on the subsequent studies on the working mechanism and functions.

It was first reported that hsa_circRNA_101237 was significantly upregulated in MM. It was indicated that hsa_circRNA_101237 may be a novel biomarker for MM, and it plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of MM.