CD90 promotes cell migration, viability and sphere-forming ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Cluster of differentiation (CD)90 (Thy-1) was proposed as a marker for the liver cancer stem cells that are responsible for tumorigenic activity, however its involvement in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of CD90 on the biological functions of HCC and to investigate the associated circular RNA (circRNA) involved in this process. The analysis of the in vitro data demonstrated that CD90(+) cells isolated from SK-Hep-1 cells exhibited increased viability, migration and invasive abilities compared with CD90(−) cells. In addition, circRNA expression profiles in CD90(+) and CD90(−) cells were screened using a microarray assay and hsa_circ_0067531 and hsa_circ_0057096 were identified to be expressed at significantly different levels. It was additionally demonstrated that the expression of hsa_circ_0067531 in HCC tissues was significantly decreased compared with normal adjacent tissues. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that CD90 may be used as a potential biomarker for HCC. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that hsa_circ_0067531 may affect the biological functions of CD90(+) HCC cells and may be a promising candidate to aid in the diagnosis and therapy of HCC.