Circular RNA circβ-catenin aggravates the malignant phenotype of non-small-cell lung cancer via encoding a peptide

More and more evidences demonstrate that circular RNAs (circNRAs) can encode protein. As a circRNA with translation capabilities, outcomes of circβ-catenin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still need to be explored.

The research methods of circβ-catenin in the article include qRT-PCR, wound healing assay, CCK-8, colony formation, and Transwell assay. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were provided to detect protein expression levels and peptide encoded by circβ-catenin, respectively.

A prominently higher circβ-catenin expression was found in NSCLC tissues. Silencing of circβ-catenin was able to inhibit NSCLC cell migrating, invasive, and proliferative phenotypes. Overexpression of circβ-catenin could enhance the migrating, invasive, and proliferative phenotypes of NSCLC cells. Importantly, circβ-catenin was found to encode a peptide in NSCLC cells. Silencing or overexpression of circβ-catenin could reduce or increase β-catenin protein expression via suppressing the degradation of β-catenin.

Circβ-catenin could promote NSCLC cell malignant phenotypes via peptide-regulated β-catenin pathway. Our study provided a new understanding for the mechanisms of NSCLC.