Circ‐IGF1R inhibits cell invasion and migration in non‐small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel molecular marker and target candidate that is closely associated with tumor invasion and migration. The mechanism of action of hsa_circ_0005035 (circ‐IGF1R) in non‐small cell lung cancer remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to study the mechanism of action of circ‐IGF1R in lung cancer. METHODS: We screened circ‐IGF1R, one of the most notable differential expressions, from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, GSE104854, for further research. The expression level of circ‐IGF1R was examined using quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) in five different lung cancer cell lines and 50 pairs of lung cancer and adjacent tissues. Wound‐healing and Transwell assays were used for verifying the biological function of circ‐IGF1R. The effect of overexpressing circ‐IGF1R on the transcriptome of whole lung cancer cells was explored in lung cancer cell lines using RNA‐seq. RESULTS: The expression level of circ‐IGF1R was notably lower in lung cancer tissues and lung cancer cell lines than in the adjacent normal tissues and cells (P < 0.0001). In addition, the expression level of circ‐IGF1R was associated with larger tumors (T2/T3/T4) and lymph node metastasis (N1/ N2/N3) (P < 0.05). The overexpression of circ‐IGF1R significantly inhibited the invasion and migration of the lung cancer cells. The potential network of circ‐IGF1R–miR‐1270–VANGL2 was preliminarily determined, and the expression patterns of miR‐1270 and VANGL2 were verified in lung cancer cell lines. CONCLUSION: Circ‐IGF1R may inhibit lung cancer invasion and migration through a potential network of circ‐IGF1R–miR‐1270–VANGL2.