Hepatocellular Carcinoma

ARL3[Circular RNA]

miR-1305[miRNA]

METTL3[mRNA]

Hepatitis B virus(+) hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Homo sapiens (human)

IUBMB Life. 2021 Feb;73(2):408-417. doi: 10.1002/iub.2438. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

N(6) -methyladenosine modification of circular RNA circ-ARL3 facilitates Hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma via sponging miR-1305.

microarray;

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whether circular RNA (circRNA) is involved in this process remains unknown. In this study, we performed circRNA microarray profile and found an HBV-related circRNA, circ-ARL3 (hsa_circ_0092493). Stable knockdown of circ-ARL3 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HBV(+) HCC cells. High circ-ARL3 was positively correlated with malignant clinical features and poor prognosis. In terms of mechanism, HBx protein upregulated N(6) -methyladenosine (m(6) A) methyltransferases METTL3 expression, increasing the m(6) A modification of circ-ARL3; then, m(6) A reader YTHDC1 bound to m(6) A-modified of circ-ARL3 and favored its reverse splicing and biogenesis. Furthermore, circ-ARL3 was able to sponge miR-1305, antagonizing the inhibitory effects of miR-1305 on a cohort of target oncogenes, thereby promoting HBV(+) HCC progression. Importantly, depletion of circ-ARL3 significantly retarded HBV(+) HCC cell growth in vivo, whereas this effect was evidently blocked after silencing of miR-1305. Collectively, our data suggest that circ-ARL3 is a critical regulator in HBV-related HCC, targeting the axis of circ-ARL3/miR-1305 may be a promising treatment for HBV(+) HCC patients.