Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2025
11:29
miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues
Published on: September 8, 2015
10.8K
CircBIRC6 affects prostate cancer progression by regulating miR-574-5p and DNAJB1
Bin Zhao1, Jinye Yang1, Fengming Ran2
1Department of Urology, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan, Kunming, China.
Cancer Biology & Therapy
|September 11, 2024
Summary
This study identifies CircBIRC6 as a key regulator in prostate cancer (PCa). Lowering CircBIRC6 levels inhibits PCa cell growth, migration, and EMT, while promoting apoptosis, offering new therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PCa) remains a significant health concern, with current biomarkers like prostate-specific antigen (PSA) having limitations in prognostic accuracy.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as crucial regulators in various diseases, including cancer, highlighting their potential as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
- Identifying differentially expressed circRNAs and their downstream pathways in PCa is essential for developing improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify differentially expressed circRNAs in prostate cancer.
- To investigate the role of identified circRNAs and their downstream signaling pathways in regulating PCa cell behaviors, including proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and autophagy.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying circRNA regulation in prostate cancer.
Main Methods:
- Expression analysis to identify differentially expressed circRNAs, leading to the selection of hsa_circ_0119816 (CircBIRC6) as the target.
- Validation of circRNA properties using RNase R, actinomycin D, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
- Bioinformatic prediction and experimental verification (dual luciferase assay, RNA Immunoprecipitation) of downstream miRNA and protein targets.
- Functional assays including CCK-8, Transwell, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting to assess the impact of circRNAs on PCa cell proliferation, migration, EMT, and autophagy.
Main Results:
- Hsa_circ_0119816 (CircBIRC6) was found to be highly expressed in prostate cancer samples.
- Knockdown of CircBIRC6 significantly inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation, invasion, EMT, and autophagy, while promoting apoptosis.
- The molecular axis CircBIRC6/miRNA-574-5p/DNAJB1 was identified as a key regulator of prostate cancer cell functions.
Conclusions:
- CircBIRC6 plays a critical oncogenic role in prostate cancer progression.
- The CircBIRC6/miRNA-574-5p/DNAJB1 axis represents a novel regulatory pathway in prostate cancer.
- CircBIRC6 holds potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
Related Concept Videos
01:22MicroRNAs
3.0K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.0K
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
4.1K
Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.1K
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
4.5K
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...
4.5K
01:23Negative Regulator Molecules
35.2K
Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
35.2K
02:34Inhibition of Cdk Activity
4.7K
The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
4.7K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.8K
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...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K