Abstract

Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are noncoding RNAs. Accumulating evidence suggests that circRNAs play a critical role in human biological processes, especially tumorigenesis, and development. However, the exact mechanisms of action of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Methods Bioinformatic tools and RT-qPCR were used to identify the role of circDHPR, a circRNA derived from the dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) locus, in HCC and para-carcinoma tissues. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model were used to analyze the correlation between circDHPR expression and patient prognosis. Lentiviral vectors were used to establish stable circDHPR-overexpressing cells. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that tumor proliferation and metastasis are affected by circDHPR. Mechanistic assays, including Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, dual-luciferase reporter assays, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and RNA immunoprecipitation, have demonstrated the molecular mechanism underlying circDHPR. Results CircDHPR was downregulated in HCC, and low circDHPR expression was associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival rates. CircDHPR overexpression inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo . Further systematic studies revealed that circDHPR binds to miR-3194-5p, an upstream regulator of RASGEF1B. This endogenous competition suppresses the silencing effect of miR-3194-5p. We confirmed that circDHPR overexpression inhibited HCC growth and metastasis by sponging miR-3194-5p to upregulate the expression of RASGEF1B, which is regarded as a suppressor of the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway. Conclusions Aberrant circDHPR expression leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. CircDHPR may serve as a biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.