Circ_0002669 promotes osteosarcoma tumorigenesis through directly binding to MYCBP and sponging miR-889-3p

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of highly multifunctional single-stranded RNAs that play crucial roles in cancer progression, including osteosarcoma (OS). Circ_0002669, generated from the dedicator of cytokinesis (DOCK) gene, was highly expressed in OS tissues, and negatively correlated with OS patient survival. Elevated circ_0002669 promoted OS cell growth and invasion in vivo and in vitro. By biotin pulldown and mass spectroscopy, we found that circ_0002669 directly bound to MYCBP, a positive regulator of c-myc, to prevent MYCBP from ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation. In addition, circ_0002669 interacted with miR-889-3p and served as a miRNA sponge to increase the expression of MYCBP, as determined by luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation. Functional rescue experiments indicated MYCBP acted as a key factor for circ_0002669- and miR-889-3p-regulated OS cell proliferation and migration. Increased expression of c-myc-associated genes, such as CCND1, c-Jun and CDK4, were found in circ_0002669- and MYCBP-overexpressing OS cells. Our data thus provide evidence that circ_0002669 promotes OS malignancy by protecting MYCBP from protein ubiquitination and degradation and blocking miR-889-3p-mediated inhibition of MYCBP expression.