Circ_0109046 Promotes the Progression of Endometrial Cancer via Regulating miR-136/HMGA2 Axis

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play crucial roles in the occurrence and development of tumors. This research aimed to explore the function and potential mechanism of human serum albumin (hsa)_circ_0109046 in EC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The abundance of circ_0109046, microRNA-136 (miR-136) and high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were employed to assess cell proliferation. Transwell assay was used to measure cell migration and invasion. The levels of E-cadherin, Vimentin and N-cadherin were examined by Western blot. The binding association among circ_0109046, miR-136 and HMGA2 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Xenograft assay was performed to test tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_0109046 and HMGA2 were up-regulated, and miR-136 was down-regulated in EC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_0109046 impeded the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of EC cells. Moreover, miR-136 knockdown reversed the suppression of circ_0109046 silencing on EC development. HMGA2 overexpression abolished the inhibition of miR-136 on EC progression. Besides, depletion of circ_0109046 inhibited EC growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: Circ_0109046 accelerated EC progression via modulating miR-136/HMGA2 axis, indicating that circ_0109046 might be a promising therapeutic target for EC.