Hsa_circ_0000673 is down-regulated in gastric cancer and inhibits the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells by targetting miR-532-5p

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a new class of endogenous non-coding RNAs, have recently been known to play critical roles in various cellular biological processes, including tumorigenesis, in which they act as an miRNA sponge that regulates gene expression. Thus, revealing the functions of circRNAs in carcinogenesis and cancer development has been of great interest. However, their expression and functions in gastric cancer (GC) development are still largely unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify novel deregulated circRNAs in GC and reveal their biological functions and molecular mechanisms in GC. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure the expression levels of circRNAs in GC tissues, cell lines, and plasma. The MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and tumor xenografts in vivo were used to evaluate the effects of circRNAs on the proliferation and invasion of GC. The abovementioned methods coupled with Western blotting were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms. The current study showed that hsa_circ_0000673 was significantly down-regulated in GC. Overexpression of hsa_circ_0000673 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of GC cells. In contrast, hsa_circ_0000673 down-regulation promoted the proliferation and invasion of GC cells. Further studies revealed that hsa_circ_0000673 targetted miR-532-5p and up-regulated the expression of RUNX3. The present study showed that hsa_circ_0000673 was decreased in GC and it exerted tumor-suppressing effects by targetting miR-532-5p and up-regulating RUNX3 expression level. Hsa_circ_0000673 may be a promising diagnosis biomarker and therapeutic target in GC.