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Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Induction of Invasive Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma in Immune Intact Human MUC1 Transgenic Mice: A Model for Immunotherapy Development
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Induction of Invasive Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma in Immune Intact Human MUC1 Transgenic Mice: A Model for Immunotherapy Development

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circNR3C1 Suppresses Bladder Cancer Progression through Acting as an Endogenous Blocker of BRD4/C-myc Complex

Fei Xie1,2, Xingyuan Xiao1, Dan Tao3

  • 1Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.

Molecular Therapy. Nucleic Acids
|November 24, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Circular RNA circNR3C1 inhibits bladder cancer (BC) by blocking the BRD4/C-myc complex. This finding reveals a novel mechanism for controlling BC progression and offers potential therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is crucial in tumorigenesis and cancer aggressiveness.
  • The regulatory mechanisms of BRD4 in bladder cancer (BC) are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel regulators of BRD4 function in bladder cancer.
  • To elucidate the role of circular RNAs in bladder cancer progression.

Main Methods:

  • Identification of circNR3C1 as a BRD4 regulator.
  • Mechanistic studies on circNR3C1 interaction with BRD4.
  • In vivo xenograft models to assess tumorigenesis.

Main Results:

  • circNR3C1, an exonic circRNA from the NR3C1 gene, interacts with BRD4.
  • circNR3C1 dissociates the BRD4/C-myc complex, inhibiting C-myc transcription.
  • Ectopic C-myc expression partially reverses circNR3C1-induced inhibition of tumorigenesis in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • circNR3C1 acts as an endogenous blocker of the BRD4/C-myc complex.
  • circNR3C1 inhibits bladder cancer progression by disrupting this critical complex.
  • circNR3C1 represents a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer treatment.
Keywords:
BRD4bladder cancercircNR3C1endogenous blocker

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