CircNRIP1 drives the malignant phenotypes in gastric cancer through mediating the miR-148b-5p/CYR61 axis

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a frequent disease with a poor
prognosis worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are considered to be
important regulators that mediate the occurrence and development of
cancers, including GC. However, the regulatory mechanism of circRNAs in GC
progression is not fully understood. Methods: The expression of circular
RNA nuclear receptor-interacting protein 1 (circNRIP1), microRNA
(miR)-148b-5p and Cysteine-rich 61 (CYR61) was gauged using quantitative
real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The stability of circNRIP1
was determined by Ribonuclease R (RNase R) assay. Results: CircNRIP1 was
upregulated in GC tissues and cells, and it was a stable circular RNA.
CircNRIP1 overexpression facilitated cell proliferation, cycle
progression, colony formation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis, while
circNRIP1 knockdown exhibited opposite effects in GC cells.
Mechanistically, miR-148b-5p could mediate the regulation of circNRIP1 on
GC cell progression by serving as a target of circNRIP1. Furthermore,
miR-148b-5p inhibited GC cell malignant behaviors by sponging CYR61.
Meanwhile, circNRIP1 could regulate CYR61 expression via downregulating
miR-148b-5p. Besides, circNRIP1 knockdown suppressed tumor growth in
xenograft models. Conclusion: CircNRIP1 contributed to GC progression
through regulating the miR-148b-5p/CYR61 axis, hinting that circNRIP1
might be a new target for GC treatment.