AUTHOR=Liu Li , Jia Li , Shao Jun , Liu Hanhua , Wu Qinke , Wu Xudong 

TITLE=Circular RNA circNF1 siRNA Silencing Inhibits Glioblastoma Cell Proliferation by Promoting the Maturation of miR-340

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.658076

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.658076

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=It has been reported that circular RNA circNF1 promotes gastric cancer. This study aimed to analyze the role of circNF1 in glioblastoma (GBM). Expression of circNF1, mature miR-340, and miR-340 precursor in paired GBM and non-cancer tissues from GBM patients (n=50) was analyzed by RT-qPCR. GBM cells were transfected with circNF1 siRNA, followed by analyzing the expression of mature miR-340 and miR-340 precursor to study the effects of circNF1 knockdown on miR-340 maturation. CCK-8 assay was carried out to explore the effects of circNF1 and miR-340 on GBM cell proliferation. CircNF1 expression was upregulated in GBM and correlated with patient’s survival. In glioma tissues, circNF1 was inversely correlated with mature miR-340, but not miR-340 precursor. In GBM cells, circNF1 siRNA silencing upregulated mature miR-340, but not miR-340 precursor. Cell proliferation assay showed that circNF1 siRNA silencing and miR-340 overexpression decreased GBM cell proliferation. In addition, miR-340a inhibitor suppressed the effect of circNF1 siRNA silencing on cell proliferation. Therefore, circNF1 siRNA silencing might inhibit GBM cell proliferation by promoting miR-340 maturation.