CircDNAJC11 interacts with TAF15 to promote breast cancer progression via enhancing MAPK6 expression and activating the MAPK signaling pathway

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor in women worldwide. Circular RNA (circRNA) has been proven to play a critical role in BC progression. However, the exact biological functions and underlying mechanisms of circRNAs in BC remain largely unknown. METHODS: Here, we first screened for differentially expressed circRNAs in 4 pairs of BC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues using a circRNA microarray. Functionally, gain- and loss-of-function experiments in vitro and in vivo showed that circDNAJC11 promoted BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down, mass spectrum, RNA immunoprecipitation, fluorescence in situ hybridization assays, and rescue experiments were executed. RESULTS: We found that circDNAJC11 was significantly upregulated in triple-negative breast cancer tissues and cells. Clinical data revealed that the high expression of circDNAJC11 was closely correlated with a poor prognosis of BC patients and could be an independent risk factor for BC prognosis. Functionally, gain- and loss-of-function experiments in vitro and in vivo showed that circDNAJC11 promoted BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down, mass spectrum, RNA immunoprecipitation, fluorescence in situ hybridization assays, and rescue experiments were executed. We demonstrated that circDNAJC11 combined with TAF15 to promote BC progression via stabilizing MAPK6 mRNA and activating the MAPK signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The circDNAJC11/TAF15/MAPK6 axis played a crucial role in the progression and development of BC, suggesting that circDNAJC11 might be a novel biomarker and therapeutical target for BC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-023-04020-x.