The hsa_circ_0007396-miR-767-3p-CHD4 axis is involved in the progression and carcinogenesis of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been linked to numerous human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC), in numerous recent investigations. The expression of circRNA and the mechanisms involved in GC are still unknown. METHODS: In this work, Gene Expression Omnibus 2R (GEO2R) online tool was first used to screen 6 candidates of differentially expressed circRNAs in 2 datasets, GSE83521 and GSE89143. Then, using Cancer-Specific CircRNA Database (CSCD), the structural loop diagrams of these circRNAs were generated. After combining the Circular RNA Interactome (CRI) and CSCD databases for miRNA co-prediction, a candidate circRNA-miRNA sub-network was successfully created. The expression of these miRNAs was further examined using Cytoscape software, and 2 miRNAs, miR-767-5p and miR-767-3p. RESULTS: We used GEO2R to analyze the differential expression of GSE83521 and GSE89143 datasets in GEO database. Through the construction of the structural ring diagram of CSCD database, we found that hsa_circRNA_100571, hsa_circRNA_103102, hsa_circRNA_100754, hsa_circRNA_100737, hsa_circRNA_100269, hsa_circRNA_102476, hsa_circRNA_101287 is the final candidate circRNA in GC. MiR-767-5p and miR-767-3p were found to be important miRNAs in GC. The miRNet database indicated their downstream target genes. In various studies, namely central gene screening, correlation analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI), we detected chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 4 (CHD4) as a key potential candidate of hsa-mir-767-3p. Next, we conducted validation of clinical data. We included the clinical data of 100 patients with GC, and found that patients with low CHD4 expression had significantly higher OS and PFS than those with high CHD4 expression (P<0.001, P=0.005). Cox regression analysis showed that low CHD4 expression was an independent risk factor for tumor progression (P=0.001). At the same time, tumor differentiation and chemotherapy also had a certain impact on the progression of GC (all P<0.05). Therefore, CHD4 may provide a promising therapeutic target for the future treatment of GC. CONCLUSIONS: We identified an important hsa_circ_0007396-miR-767-3p-CHD4 axis, which is associated with GC proliferation and carcinogenesis, and may represent a promising therapeutic target for the future cure of GC.