circITCH suppresses cell proliferation and metastasis through miR‐660/TFCP2 pathway in melanoma

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is an aggressive disease that is rising in incidence. Advanced melanoma is still a life‐threatening disease. CircRNAs are documented to be involved in melanoma progression. But circITCH role in melanoma remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: To explore the functions of circITCH in melanoma, levels of circITCH in melanoma tissues and paracarcinoma normal tissues were detected. To study the roles of circITCH in melanoma in terms of cell proliferation and migration, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed. Mechanism study was designed to investigate the potential regulatory effect of circITCH in melanoma. Results revealed that circITCH expression was repressed in melanoma versus adjacent normal tissues. Function study showed that circITCH suppressed melanoma cell proliferation and metastasis. The mechanism study showed that circITCH‐sponged miR‐660 to upregulate TFCP2 and suppress melanoma progression. CONCLUSIONS: The circITCH/miR‐660/TFCP2 axis is involved in melanoma progression hence circITCH can be a diagnostic biomarker as well as a target for treating melanoma.