Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Three-Dimensional Bone Extracellular Matrix Model for Osteosarcoma
08:07

Three-Dimensional Bone Extracellular Matrix Model for Osteosarcoma

Published on: April 12, 2019

7.4K

Circ_WWC3 overexpression decelerates the progression of osteosarcoma by regulating miR-421/PDE7B axis

Sihai Liu1, Jing Zhang2, Ting Zheng3

  • 1Department of Orthopedics, Wuhan Third Hospital, Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430060, China.

Open Life Sciences
|April 5, 2021
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Circular RNA circ_WWC3 inhibits osteosarcoma (OS) progression by increasing PDE7B levels through sponging miR-421. This finding offers a potential therapeutic target for OS treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are increasingly recognized as key regulators in osteosarcoma (OS) development.
  • The specific role of circ_WWC3 in OS progression remained largely unexplored prior to this study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional role and underlying molecular mechanisms of circ_WWC3 in osteosarcoma.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and RNase R assay were used to quantify RNA levels.
  • Cellular assays including colony formation, MTT, Transwell, and flow cytometry assessed proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis.
  • Western blot analyzed protein expression, while dual-luciferase reporter assays elucidated miRNA-target interactions.
  • A murine xenograft model was employed for in vivo validation.

Main Results:

  • circ_WWC3 and PDE7B were found to be downregulated in OS tissues and cells compared to normal controls.
  • Overexpression of circ_WWC3 or PDE7B inhibited OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while promoting apoptosis in vitro.
  • circ_WWC3 positively regulated PDE7B by sponging miR-421, and miR-421 overexpression reversed the effects of circ_WWC3.
  • Inhibition of miR-421 promoted malignant behaviors by targeting PDE7B, and circ_WWC3 suppressed tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • circ_WWC3 acts as a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma.
  • Overexpression of circ_WWC3 inhibits OS development by upregulating PDE7B through the sponging of miR-421.
Keywords:
OSPDE7Bcirc_WWC3miR-421

More Related Videos

A Preclinical Mouse Model of Osteosarcoma to Define the Extracellular Vesicle-mediated Communication Between Tumor and Mesenchymal Stem Cells11:15

A Preclinical Mouse Model of Osteosarcoma to Define the Extracellular Vesicle-mediated Communication Between Tumor and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Published on: May 6, 2018

10.4K
A Syngeneic Orthotopic Osteosarcoma Sprague Dawley Rat Model with Amputation to Control Metastasis Rate07:31

A Syngeneic Orthotopic Osteosarcoma Sprague Dawley Rat Model with Amputation to Control Metastasis Rate

Published on: May 3, 2021

4.0K

Related Concept Videos

Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.8K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.0K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.5K
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.8K
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a...
4.5K
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.8K