circ_0004662 contributes to colorectal cancer progression by interacting with hnRNPM.

Abstract

Circular (circ)RNAs participate in colorectal cancer (CRC) occurrence and progression. However, the role of hsa_circ_0004662 (circ_0004662) in CRC remains unknown. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR noted high expression of circ_0004662 in CRC compared with normal colorectal epithelial cells. circ_0004662 knockdown inhibited migration of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo; would healing and Transwell assays showed that circ_0004662 overexpression contributed to CRC migration. Nuclear cytoplasmic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed localization of circ_0004662 in the nucleus and cytoplasm. CircRNADB databases predicted that circ_0004662 exhibited translational potential and liquid chromatography‑mass spectrometry (LC‑MS) of circ_0004662 pull‑down products suggested that circ_0004662 bound to multiple ribosomal subunits. However, peptide products of 149aa translated by circ_0004662, with a molecular weight of ~17 kDa were not detected. Nevertheless, LC‑MS analysis indicated that circ_0004662 bound multiple proteins. Immunoprecipitation of RNA‑binding proteins revealed that circ_0004662 bound to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein M (hnRNPM) and that hnRNPM interference decreased circ_0004662 expression, thereby affecting CRC progression. In summary, circ_0004662 was significantly upregulated in CRC. As a non‑coding RNA, it may promote CRC progression by binding to hnRNPM, which may serve as a potential target for treating CRC.