Hsa_circ_101280 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating miR‐375/ JAK2

In this study, we sought to predict the effects of a certain circular RNA (circ RNA ), hsa_circ_101280 (also known as hsa_circ_0100929 and hsa_circ_ SLAIN 1), on hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) cells and to determine the potential mechanism. After screening differentially expressed circ RNA s in HCC tissues through Gene Expression Omnibus data analysis, hsa_circ_101280 was found to be highly expressed, and its high expression was verified in HCC cell lines with qRT ‐ PCR along with the low expression of its downstream mi RNA miR‐375. Colony formation and flow cytometry assays showed that both hsa_circ_101280 silencing and miR‐375 overexpression restrained proliferation and promoted apoptosis in HCC cells. JAK 2 was identified as a downstream mRNA target of miR‐375 by RNA pull‐down and dual‐luciferase reporter gene assays, its expression in HCC cell lines were positively regulated by hsa_circ_101280 and negatively by miR‐375 expression. Furthermore, the silencing of hsa_circ_101280 significantly inhibited the growth of HCC xenografts in nude mice, with the downregulated expression of JAK 2 . Overall, both the in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that hsa_circ_101280 largely facilitated the tumorigenesis of HCC , characterized by the promoted proliferation and suppressed apoptosis of HCC cells, by sponging miR‐375 and upregulating JAK 2 .