Circ_0000317/microRNA-520g/HOXD10 axis affects the biological characteristics of colorectal cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that are widely expressed in cancer tissues and play a pro- or anticancer role in modulating cancer progression. This work is aimed to probe the biological role of circ_0000317 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying mechanism. Circ_0000317 was selected from the circRNA microarray datasets (GSE121895). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to examine circ_0000317, microRNA (miR)-520g, and homeobox D10 (HOXD10) mRNA expression in CRC. Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell experiments were conducted to examine the effects of circ_0000317 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were implemented to predict and validate the targeting relationship between circ_0000317 and miR-520g, miR-520g, and HOXD10. Western blot was employed to examine HOXD10 expression at protein level in CRC cells. Circ_0000317 and HOXD10 mRNA expression were unveiled to be down-modulated and miR-520g expression was up-modulated in CRC. Functionally, circ_0000317 overexpression repressed CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, miR-520g was a direct target of circ_0000317 and miR-520g specifically modulated HOXD10 expression. Furthermore, miR-520g mimics partially counteracted the suppressing effect of circ_0000317 on malignant phenotype of CRC cells. Circ_0000317 represses CRC progression by targeting miR-520g and modulating HOXD10 expression. Hence, circ_0000317 may be a promising diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for CRC.