CircSPI1 acts as an oncogene in acute myeloid leukemia through antagonizing SPI1 and interacting with microRNAs

PU.1 (encoded by SPI1) is essential for myeloid development, and inhibition of its expression and activity can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The precise regulation of PU.1 expression is crucial for the development of AML, and the discovery of circular RNAs (circRNAs) can add a new layer of information on regulation. Here, we found that circSPI1, the circular RNA derived from the SPI1 gene, is highly expressed in AML but not in normal counterparts. Unlike SPI1, a tumor suppressor and being lowly expressed in AML, we demonstrate that circSPI1 acts as an oncogene, evidenced by the observation that circSPI1 knockdown induces myeloid differentiation and apoptosis of AML cells. We provide mechanistic evidence for multiple regulatory roles of circSPI1 in AML progression. On one hand, circSPI1 contributes to myeloid differentiation of AML cells by interacting with the translation initiation factor eIF4AIII to antagonize PU.1 expression at the translation level. On the other hand, circSPI1 contributes to proliferation and apoptosis by interacting with miR-1307-3p, miR-382-5p, and miR-767-5p; this role is uncoupled with SPI1. Finally, we illustrate the clinical significance of circSPI1 by showing that circSPI1-regulated genes are associated with the clinical outcome of AML patients. Our data provide new insight into the complex SPI1 gene regulation now involving circSPI1.