Circular RNA Foxo3 enhances progression of ovarian carcinoma cells

Background: Ovarian carcinoma (OC) is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy in females worldwide. Circular RNA Foxo3 (Foxo3) plays essential roles in various cancers. However, the detailed function of Foxo3 in OC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of Foxo3 in OC and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods: The abundance of Foxo3 was detected in OC cell lines by qPCR. Lentivirus transduction, CCK-8, wound healing assays, transwell migration and invasion assays, luciferase reporter assay, western blotting, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and bioinformatics analysis were performed to investigate the underlying mechanism. Results: The results demonstrated that Foxo3 was significantly upregulated in OC cell lines. Overexpression and knockdown of Foxo3 promoted and inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OC cells, respectively. Foxo3 could bind to miR-422a to negatively regulate miR-422a expression. Also, proteolipid protein 2 (PLP2) was a targeting gene of miR-422a. Additionally, Foxo3 was highly expressed in exosomes derived from OC cells. Furthermore, Foxo3 could be shuttled to OC cells by exosomes and promoted OC progression. Conclusions: Foxo3 promoted OC progression through exosome-mediated intercellular interaction to target miR-422a/PLP2 axis. Foxo3 may serve as a potential biomarker for OC.