Downregulation of circular RNA circ-HN1 suppressed the progression of gastric cancer through the miR-485-5p/GSK3A pathway

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignancy with high incidence and mortality globally. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are reported to regulate cellular processes in human diseases, including GC. Herein, the functions of circ-HN1 and its molecular mechanisms were investigated. circ-HN1, miR-485-5p, and GSK3A levels in GC were measured using Real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell proliferation was analyzed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Meanwhile, the migration and invasion abilities were analyzed using the transwell assay. The targeted relationship was confirmed using a luciferase reporter assay and an RNA pull-down assay. In both GC tissues and cells, circ-HN1 expression was upregulated, and its silencing suppressed cellular processes. Moreover, circ-HN1 served as a sponge of miR-485-5p, which was reduced in patients with GC and negatively regulated by circ-HN1 in GC cells. Inhibition of miR-485-4p abolished the biological functions induced by the silencing of circ-HN1. Additionally, miR-485-5p targeted GSK3A in GC, whose expression was elevated in tumor tissues and was negatively correlated with miR-485-5p in tumor cells. GSK3A rescued the inhibition of miR-485-5p in the cellular processes. In conclusion, silencing of the circ-HN1–miR-485-5p–GSK3A regulatory network inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, suggesting that circ-HN1 is a potential target for GC therapy.