CircESRP1 enhances metastasis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition in endometrial cancer via the miR-874-3p/CPEB4 axis

BACKGROUND: Metastasis is critical for endometrial cancer (EC) progression and prognosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) can operate as independent functional entities. However, the functional regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs in EC remain unclear. METHODS: The levels of circESRP1, miR-874-3p, and CPEB4 mRNA in EC tissues and cells were determined by qRT-PCR. Sanger sequencing, PCR with divergent primers, an actinomycin D assay, and RNase R treatment were applied to verify the circular properties. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation were used to determine the localization of circESRP1. CCK-8, EdU incorporation, colony formation, Transwell, and wound healing assays were applied to assess the effects of circESRP1 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The mutual regulatory mechanism of ceRNAs was investigated using dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and Western blot assays. The biological effects were further validated in vivo in nude mouse xenograft models. RESULTS: circESRP1 was highly expressed in EC tissues and cells and was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. Silencing circESRP1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of EC cells in vitro and in vivo; however, overexpression of circESRP1 had the opposite effects. Mechanistically, circESRP1 sponged miR-874-3p to upregulate CPEB4 expression and ultimately contribute to EC cell proliferation and metastasis. Furthermore, circESRP1 regulated tumour growth in xenograft models. CONCLUSIONS: CircESRP1 can interact with miR-874-3p to regulate EMT in endometrial cancer via the miR-874-3p/CPEB4 axis. CircESRP1 may serve as a promising therapeutic target for endometrial cancer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03334-6.