Circular RNA circNRIP1 plays oncogenic roles in the progression of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Increasing evidence suggests that aberrant expression of circRNAs is associated with the occurrence and progression of many cancers. Here, we investigated the role of circNRIP1 in osteosarcoma and explored its possible underlying mechanisms. Three pairs of osteosarcoma tissues and adjacent normal tissues were applied to the detection of altered expression of circRNAs through circRNAs microarray. And the level of circNRIP1 expression was elevated in osteosarcoma tissues. Compared with that in adjacent normal tissue, circNRIP1 expression level was obviously elevated in 100 osteosarcoma tissues. Besides, circNRIP1 knockdown inhibited proliferation and migration, promoted apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated circNRIP1 contributed to FOXC2 expression by sponging miR-199a. Furthermore, METTL3 elevated circNRIP1 expression level via m6A modification. In short, METTL3-induced circNRIP1 exerted an oncogenic role in osteosarcoma by sponging miR-199a, which may provide new ideas for the treatment of osteosarcoma.